Rio de Janeiro is quite a sight. Taking in the view from atop Sugarloaf Mountain on a sunny day, the sun-kissed beaches and green mountains sprawling beneath are gorgeous. The city's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue is visible in the distance, arms outstretched as if both welcoming and protecting. Even the famed favelas, sprawling uphill slums where films like City of God took place, belie their dangerous element from this distance. This beauty surely must rank amongst factors that won Rio its 2016 Olympics bid as well as that of the 2014 World Cup.
Oh, and Rio is pretty gay. Pretty, pretty, pretty gay. Gays across Brazil flock here for lazy days of sun worship ( and exhibitionism/voyeurismrevealing, skimpy bathing trunks are the norm ) along rainbow flag-marked, soft sandy stretches of Ipanema and Copacabana beach, and late weekend nights ( and mornings ) of Cachaça-soaked partying. Ipanema's Rua Farme de Amoedo is dominated by muscular circuit types, aka "Barbies;" its Cafeina is the café/hangout of choice.
Copacabana's beach and nightspots are more welcoming to bears and alternative types, and boasts its own Cafeina for good measure. Downtown neighborhood Lapa and the rustic, boutique-y Santa Teresa are well worth exploring for their old-and-new architecture, shops, and restaurants. Check out the dedicated LGBT section at Rio For Partiers ( www.rioforpartiers.com ) , which includes current rundown on gay beaches, clubs/bars and tours including those by operator Rio G ( www.riog.com .br ) . Gay Web sites include www.riogayguide.com and www.disponivel.com .
Last year saw the opening of The Week, Rio's most glam queer nightclub ( sister of a well-established Sao Paolo venue of the same name ) . Upon entering you're handed a swipe card used to charge drinks and other items, which you pay fornot to mention a juicy door feeupon exiting. The second largest gay venue in town, disco Le Boy ( www.leboy.com .br ) boasts a sister bar, sauna and lesbian club ( Le Girl ) on the same blockplus incredibly ripped, Kristen Bjorn-ready go-go dancers on weekends. Fosfobox ( www.fosfobox.com .br ) is popular with sexually diverse, underground and hipster crowds, and Rio's oldest bar, La Cueva ( Rua Miguel Lemos, 51 ) , is a cozy cave indeed for bears, daddies and their very cute young fans.
Rio's locals are known as Cariocas, and these lovers of life spend each year in anticipation of February's Carnaval, an insane citywide party that sees outrageous costumes, floats and performances on display along the Sambodromo, a closed-off strip lined with stadium-like bleachers. All year round you can visit the compound known as Samba City for a peek at these floats, shows, and take photos in over-the-top costumes. For less traditional, nouveau Rio culture/arts, check out Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, housing multiple arts exhibition spaces and a theater.
As for accommodations, Manilow-ian puns/riffs aside, Copacabana Palace ( www.copacabanapalace.com .br ) is surely the most iconic, well-known luxury spot in Copacabana, and a strip of gay beach awaits just outside. Exclusive to the point of douchebaggy, the Fasano ( www.fasano.com .br ) is a Brazilian fashionista's, or visiting celeb-VIP's, #1 choice. Rio's addition of a W Hotel would easily humble it, but at present this is the only game in town for upscale, slickly designed hipness.
Lower in star rating, the Portinari Design Hotel ( www.portinaridesignhotel.com .br ) features 600 rooms designed by 8 different teams/individuals, while the Marina All Suites ( www.marinaallsuites.com .br ) also blends comfort with modern flourish. For a literally elevated experience, green-friendly Hotel Santa Teresa ( www.santateresahotel.com ) boasts high-end comforts, conveniencesfree wi-fi, Ekos bath amenities, a spa, 25-meter lap pool, and amazing restaurant and barin an artsy shop and gallery-lined hillside neighborhood.
Food-wise, Rio is all about dichotomy: it's either fried, cheese-filled ( the Pao de Queijo, a chewy cheese puff, is a must ) or meat items, or anything and everything made from healthy fresh fruit. Breakfast might entail a thick, sinful acai/guarana smoothiea dense, tasty affair loaded with antioxidantswhile dinner out is frequently composed of tapas-style snacks like bolinho de bacalhau ( salted cod croquettes ) , caldo de feijao ( bean soup with pork ) , and carne seca com aipim frito ( shredded jerked meat ) .
Lunch is a fabulous, classic affair at the Colombo Coffee House ( www.confeitariacolombo.com .br ) , a famed 1894 Victorian tearoom that offers a substantial, diverse selection of croquettes and pastry. Porcão ( www.porcao.com .br ) is one of the country's most famous churrascaria chains. An insane variety of meats, from chicken hearts to lamb to beef sirloin, is carved over your plate by skewer-bearing waiters. It's a stomach-bulging experience. Chef Natasha Fink imports produce and ingredients from Brazil's Amazon to craft tropical-tinged dishes at rustic-funky Espirito Santa Emp�"rio ( www.espiritosanta.com .br ) . Leblon's Bar da Praia whips up some of Rio's tastiest, most creative cocktails including the "Light Beer"what appears to be a glass of draft brew with a generous head but is actually a refreshing concoction of shochu, peach juice, lime, honey and ginger foam. And don't forget to try the national cocktail, the caipirinha, either traditional or pimped-out with different fruits and mixers, at restaurant/bar Academia da Cachaça ( www.academiadacachaca.com .br ) .
Ipanema's Rua Visconde de Pirajá is one of the city's coolest shopping ( and people-watching ) strips, while there are a few great street marketssouvenir heaven!including Lapa's monthly Antique Market, where I met drag queen Izabelita Dos Patins, a fusion of Studio 54's legendary Rollerina, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Carnaval itself. Her miniskirt was printed with photographs of various celebrities posing with Izabelita's male alter ego, and Brazilian flag emblems adorned her boots. Quite a sight, yes?