America's city of lights has long had a well-deservedreputation for its over-the-top heterosexuality. But the love that dare notspeak its name has remained mostly hidden in plain sight amid the glitz andglamour that put Vegas on the map. But despite its low profile gay community,Las Vegas has long been a favorite destination for gay travelers. Now the city's business communityis finally beginning to capitalize on that fact by aggressively going after thegay and lesbian market.

Just this year, the city's convention and visitors authorityfor the first time produced a promotional brochure targeted toward gaytravelers. The city's biggest hotel-casino players, MGM Mirage and Harrah's,are unveiling marketing campaigns this year targeting gay visitors. And for thepast two years, the Las Vegas Strip has been home to its first gay nightclub,Krave.

In recent years, Las Vegas has seen fewer attractions gearedtoward families and children and more to the upscale adult market. Many resortsfeature luxurious spas including Mandalay Bay's Bathhouse and the Venetian'sCanyon Ranch Spa Club. You may have to search a little harder now to find a99-cent hot dog but you will find no shortage of upscale restaurants supervisedby some of the world's greatest chefs.

In the past few years, the only things that you will findless of in this city of excess are family-focused attractions. The Strip'swater park and MGM's amusement park have closed, and Treasure Island's pirateshow has been updated and now features the sexy "Sirens of T.I." ButCircus Circus, and to a lesser extent, the Excalibur and the Luxor, stillprovide attractions with kids in mind.

For adult adventure-seekers, there is still plenty to do.The Stratosphere tower provides a great overview of the city and while you areup there, you take your choice of three thrill rides. A couple leave youliterally hanging over the edge of the tower. Roller coaster fans can get theirfill nearby at the Sahara Hotel and Casino and on the other end of the Strip,New York-New York features a coaster that glides through the faux NYC skyline.

Each of the casino resorts on the four-mile Strip is adestination in itself, from the shark tanks in Mandalay Bay at the south end ofthe Strip to the Stratosphere tower on the far north end.

Downtown Las Vegas, where it all began, is about two milesnorth of the Strip. It's home to the city's oldest landmark hotels. It'smandatory, by the way, for every gay who visits downtown to have a picturetaken in front of the Four Queens Casino. A giant canopy covers the historicsection of Fremont Street where the Four Queens is located. The canopy comesalive for the spectacular Visa Vision light and sound show. The free show isnightly at 8:30, 9, 10, 11 p.m., and midnight. To get to downtown Las Vegas,follow Las Vegas Boulevard about for about two miles north of the Stratosphere.

Openly gay entertainer Frank Marino, a Joan Riversimpersonator, headlines the long-running "An Evening at La Cage" atthe Riviera Hotel and Casino. Besides Rivers, you can see impersonations of gayicons Cher, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, and Madonna on stage in the same evening.

Mandalay Bay features the ABBA musical, Mamma Mia!. If you haven't seen the show, it includes gaycharacter who reveals his orientation in the last act.

Caesar's Palace features the very gay-friendly Celine Dionin a theater built especially for her and Elton John. John, by the way, willbegin performing there beginning on October 10, when Dion is on vacation.

Expect to pay close to $100 or more to see Dion, John, orthe other very popular shows in Las Vegas. You may be able pay less if youpurchase a ticket through a half-price ticket outlet. The catches are that youhave to buy your ticket on the day of the show, you will often be faced withlong lines, and you probably won't find the most popular show tickets availablethere. For more information and locations of the half-price ticket outlets,call 888-4-tix2nite or 877-tix4tnt. By the way, La Cage tickets start at $71but there are often ads with a $10-off coupon in the free gay magazine, QVegas.

top andpick up a copy of Q Vegas. It's thecity's excellent gay/lesbian glossy and it includes a club guide and map. Itssister entertainment magazine, Out Las Vegas, and its competition, Las Vegas Night Beat, also include maps and club guides. The publicationsare a must to keep up with the ever-changing club scene.

There is no gay neighborhood in Las Vegas but the biggestconcentration of gay business is in the so-called Fruit Loop. It is alongParadise Road, near the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, about a five-minute drivefrom the Strip. On one side of Paradise are Gipsy and its sister clubs, PiranhaNightclub and 8 1Ú2 Lounge. Piranha Lounge includes a women's night onWednesdays. The dance club Gipsy is open every night except Tuesday. Gipsycharges no cover on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays - it stoppedcharging a cover on those nights to attract business away from Krave, whichdoes charge a cover.

Freezone is across the street from Gipsy. As its nameimplies, there is no cover charge. It's gay/lesbian mixed but Tuesday night isladies night, and Thursday nights are male-focused with a "Boyz"night, featuring a male strip show. Buffalo is in the strip mall across thestreet from Freezone. Buffalo is popular with pool and slot players and theleather crowd. The gay bookstore, Get Booked, is next to Buffalo and stays openon Friday and Saturday nights until 2 a.m.

The Commercial Center strip mall located on the 900-block ofE. Sahara Avenue includes three gay bars: the Spotlight Lounge with slots,pool, and appetizers nightly; Ramrod with dancing, slots, darts, and pool; andthe country western Badlands Saloon.

The Goodtimes bar at 1775 E. Tropicana Avenue lives up toits name seven days a week. Be sure to check out its wildly popular Mondaynight liquor bust; all you can drink for $15.

Flex, at 4371 W. Charleston Avenue, features a ladies nighton Thursdays and hip-hop music after midnight on Saturdays. Flex is alsoparticularly popular with the city's large Latino population.

The city's newest clubs include the country western themedCharlie's at 5012 South Arville Street and Barcode at 5150 Spring MountainRoad. Charlie's has an unofficial ladies night on Thursdays and a popular beerbust party from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Barcode is most popular on Friday andSaturday nights.

The Las Vegas Eagle at 3430 East Tropicana Avenue is bestknown for its underwear parties on Wednesday and Friday nights. You will getfree drinks if you check your clothes. If you're not ready to "go all theway," so to speak, the Eagle gives free drinks to the shirtless onSaturday nights from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The oldest bar in Las Vegas is Snick's Place. It's beengoing strong for three decades. It's also the only gay bar in downtown Las Vegas. It's located at 1402S. 3rd Street, off Las Vegas Boulevard. It gets you coming and going with happyhours from 2 to 4 p.m. and 2 to 4 a.m. While you are checking out the lightshow downtown, be sure to check out this piece of Vegas gay history.

If you would prefer to mix more with locals than withtourists, you will find a higher concentration of Las Vegans if you ventureaway from Krave and the Fruit Loop.

Toucan's Bar and Grill, formerly Hamburger Mary's, is just ablock from the Fruit Loop and is a great place to stop for a late night snack.The food there is great and reasonably priced. It's open 24 hours on Friday andSaturday nights featuring a midnight to 6 a.m. $2.99 all-you-can-eat pancakespecial. Two for one burgers are on Thursdays, from 6 to 9 p.m.

If you are homesick for San Francisco, check out the upscaleNob Hill Restaurant at the MGM. The Aladdin Spice Market Buffet continues to bea favorite for buffet lovers. The Border Grill at Mandalay Bay is a great placeto eat Mexican food while you sit near the resort's pool. It's owned bycelebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. Feniger is openly gay andMilliken is married to her ex-husband.

Mandalay Bay's Burger Bar features create-your-own burgermenu where you can get just about anything, including lobster, to top yourburger. If you are in the mood to splurge, check out the food and views at Mix,atop Mandalay Bay.

The Blue Moon Resort is a great choice for the gay maletraveler. The 47-room hotel features a waterfall that cascades over a Jacuzzigrotto and into a kidney-shaped swimming pool. Blue Moon's owner-manager JohnHessling told the Bay Area Reporter thathe plans to completely redo all the rooms by the end of the year to put theresort's rooms on par with some of the more upscale hotels on the Strip. Theresort is cruisy but at the same time comfortable and friendly for couples orothers not looking to hook up. The Blue Moon has two features not found in themega-resorts: a pool and Jacuzzi that are open 24 hours (most of the othersclose by 6 or 7 p.m.) and free wireless Internet access. But if you didn'tbring your laptop, there's a free terminal for guests to use. Blue Moon ratesstart around $119, but as is the norm in Las Vegas, rates vary widely dependingon the demand; weekdays are almost always cheaper than weekends. A day passgood for up to 11 p.m. is $25 and includes a locker. The resort's pool is clothingoptional.

How would you like to get up every day in Las Vegas and haveyour breakfast made to order by Liberace's former personal chef? You can. Justbook a room at the Lucky You Bed and Breakfast. It's Las Vegas' oldest gay bedand breakfast. It's part of the upscale John S. Park Historic Neighborhood. Itsfour rooms are beautifully decorated with antiques. Ole Borresen, thechef-owner, told the B.A.R. that hisvisitors often tell him that his house feels like a Victorian home in SanFrancisco. In fact, a couple doors in his home are antiques from San Francisco.Rates are $59-$79, including breakfast. It's clothing optional and features aquiet secluded pool, sauna, and Jacuzzi. You can also hang out on a day passfor $10. His clientele is mostly gay male, but he says he gets some lesbianvisitors. In deference to his neighbors who want to maintain the neighborhood'snoncommercial atmosphere, Borresen doesn't have a Web site. See the "Formore information" box for contact information.

The gay-friendly MGM Mirage corporation has more than 30,000rooms in Las Vegas and twice as many employees to run its nine casino-resortproperties. The spectacular Mandalay Bay, Mirage, and Bellagio hotel-casinoshave long been popular with gay visitors. MGM Mirage welcome same-sex couplesat its wedding chapels for commitment ceremonies. The corporation also offersdomestic partner benefits for its employees. Rates at MGM Mirage'sleast-expensive property, Circus Circus, start at $39.

The gay-friendly Harrah's corporation is actively promotingits Paris Hotel and Casino to the gay and lesbian market. It plans to unveil aWeb site in the next couple of weeks for gay travelers that will feature a gaygetaway package that will include admission to the gay Krave nightclub, just ashort walk from Paris. Hotel staff can also set you up with a commitmentceremony. By the way, like MGM Mirage, Harrah's offers domestic partnerbenefits to its employees.

A monorail runs along the backside of most of the Strip. Youcan also ride "The Deuce" bus all along the Strip and to downtown.For complete public transit information, visit www.rtcsouthernnevada.com or call1-800-228-3911.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's visitor infosite: www.VisitLasVegas.com . For afree package from the LVCVA that includes the LGBT brochure, a city map, and ageneral Las Vegas guide, e-mail Carol Ann Shanks at Cshanks@Lvcva.com and be sure to ask forall three items. You can also call 1-877-VISIT LV (847-4858).

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