Philadelphia's friendly face
PHILADELPHIA -- When folks tell you Philadelphia is gay-friendly, they're being modest. Certain parts of this city, such as its famed ''gayborhood," are so gay-inclusive they practically belt out their own refrains of ''Over the Rainbow."
The gayborhood is essentially 15 blocks downtown that may not be exclusively gay-identified but at least have businesses that show their support with rainbow stickers plastered on the front windows. Wandering around this area, with its quaint bookstores, upscale restaurants, and cozy coffee shops, you begin to feel as though you are lodged in a queer version of ''The Stepford Wives." Everyone's friendly, the restaurants are divine, and the staff at Giovanni's Room bookstore (345 S. 12th St.) cheerily point out guides to local gay life.
So what's the catch?
There is none, and that's the attraction of Philadelphia for gay visitors, especially since November, when the city announced a campaign specifically targeted at gay and lesbian travelers. A series of advertisements cleverly markets gay tourism by tweaking historical themes often associated with Philadelphia. One print ad, for instance, features a drawing of Benjamin Franklin and his kite. The caption reads: ''You can still feel the electricity," and the kite, of course, is rainbow-striped.
Jeff Guaracino, director of regional communications for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., directs the campaign and says he has been overwhelmed by the response, including a monologue joke on Conan O'Brien's show and articles in national newspapers.
Guaracino notes the campaign's importance on a wider scale: ''It astounds me that gays and lesbians no longer are just carrying picket signs, but are being pioneers in their own industries, whatever those may be," he says. The campaign has been picked up for three years with an annual budget of $300,000 (money culled from the state's hotel taxes).
Last weekend, with brisk winds skipping across the streets, the gayborhood seemed to be hibernating. Next weekend, of course, those streets will be ablaze when the Blue Ball circuit party roars into town with a Paris Hilton vengeance from Jan. 30-Feb. 1. The weekend party lures not only grown men in Daisy Dukes and lycra, but also hundreds of visitors who will shop for antiques on Pine Street, dine on Greek cuisine at the tiny Effie's (1127 Pine St.), and dance in the city's bars and clubs.
The Blue Ball is the main attraction next weekend, but Philly is worth a visit anytime. For a flat rate of $20, a taxi will whisk you from the airport to the gayborhood in 20 minutes. The Alexander Inn (202 S. 13th St.) boasts that it's ''Philly's intimate gay hotel," but you'd get the point from all the Doris Day songs piped into the hallways and the AMC movie schedule posted in the elevator (''Johnny Guitar" at 6 a.m.!). Starting at $99 a night, the hotel is a bargain with clean rooms with cute bathrooms and an exercise room and free Internet access.
Get your caffeine fix at Millennium Coffee (212 S. 12th St.), where college-age men and women pour strong cups of coffee over the din of an electronica soundtrack. For an especially inexpensive and quick breakfast, you can't miss with the Metropolitan Bakery (1114 Pine St.). Try coffee with a homemade ginger scone that's dense and chewy with bits of candied ginger.
Regardless of your agenda, the William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center (1315 Spruce St.) should be your first stop. The sprawling center has a mini art gallery featuring local queer artists and information on regional happenings.
Christina M. Molieri, the center's volunteer and program coordinator, is a firecracker whose knowledge of and commitment to local gay advocacy match her enthusiasm. She's articulate about gay Philadelphia and stops mid-sentence only once: ''I need more sugar in this coffee," she says in her office. For night life, Molieri, 23, says there's always Sisters Restaurant & Nightclub, the city's largest club for women, but if you want to shake your moneymaker to The Smiths' ''This Charming Man," try the monthly party simply called Girl. Listings for it, as well as other monthly parties for women, such as G Room, can be found in the Philadelphia Gay News.
The Friday night brouhaha -- make that, go-go-boy glee -- surrounds Shampoo (417 N. 8th St.). It's your standard haunt for thumping techno, but also a spot where you can hear Olga Tan's fiery salsa on one floor and Deniece Williams's ''Let's Hear It for the Boy" on another. Woody's Bar & Restaurant (202 S. 13th St.) is popular almost every night of the week. Pure (1221 St. James Place), formerly the after-hours bar called the 2-4 Club, reopened just last weekend, and already it's swarming with ripped, shirtless men who dance to house music on the first floor and sing along to highlights from ''Phantom of the Opera" in the plush piano bar downstairs.
Bump (13th and Locust streets), which with its muted orange-and-white urban sheen is eerily reminiscent of Boston's Flux in the South End, is Philly's only ''luxe-lounge" restaurant. The bartenders have a heavy hand, and it is fun to guess which club anthem the DJ will spin next. Bump is intimate, and you never know whom you'll meet here, from the charming waitstaff to a blue-eyed Canadian who will leave you seeing stars and charting your next trip to Philadelphia . . . or perhaps Toronto.
For comprehensive information on Philadelphia's gay tourism, visit www.gophila.com/gay. Blue Ball information is at www.blueballphilly.com.
Outbound, on gay and lesbian travel, appears the fourth Sunday of each month. James Reed can be reached at jreed@globe.com. 