You’re gay in NYC. Well, one thing’s for sure: you’re not alone. Welcome to a city with a ton of diversity and fun. For many, this is a place where you can finally exhale and embrace your identity. So, how exactly do you do that? Especially when it isn’t June? I’ve decide to “queer” the Manhattan map…this will allow you to fill your whole day, feeling both safe and prideful.
Lower Manhattan
Neighborhoods: West Village, East Village, SoHo, Tribeca, LES, Nolita, Chinatown, FiDi, Battery Park
Bookstore: Bluestockings Cooperative (LES)
Coffee Shop: Café Mogador (East Village)
Gym: Crunch Fitness (East Village)
Grocery Store: East Village Organic (East Village)
Restaurant: Superiority Burger (East Village)
Bar: The Boiler Room (East Village)
Club: Club Cumming (East Village)
Park: Tompkins Square Park (East Village)
Corporations: The Walt Disney Company / ABC (SoHo offices), American Express (Financial District), Goldman Sachs (Battery Park/FiDi), Verizon (Tribeca)
Midtown Manhattan
Neighborhoods: Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, Midtown East, Midtown West, Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Gramercy, Flatiron, NoMad, Times Square, Turtle Bay
Bookstore: Kinokuniya Bookstore (Midtown West)
Coffee Shop: Culture Espresso (Midtown West)
Gym: TMPL Gym (Hell’s Kitchen)
Grocery Store: Whole Foods Market — Bryant Park (Midtown)
Restaurant: Calle Dao (Bryant Park)
Bar: Therapy (Hell’s Kitchen)
Club: The Q (Hell’s Kitchen)
Park: Bryant Park (Midtown)
Corporations: Google (Chelsea), Spotify (Flatiron), Bloomberg LP (Midtown East), Morgan Stanley (Midtown East)
Upper Manhattan
Neighborhoods: Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, Hamilton Heights, Morningside Heights
Bookstore: Revolution Books (Central Harlem)
Coffee Shop: Dear Mama Coffee (Manhattanville)
Gym: Harlem Cycle (Harlem)
Grocery Store: Best Market (Harlem)
Restaurant: Harlem Shake (Central Harlem)
Bar: The Honeywell (West Harlem)
Club: Silvana (South Harlem)
Park: Marcus Garvey Park (Harlem/East Harlem)
Corporations: Columbia University (Morningside Heights), NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (Washington Heights)
Boom. And that’s just Manhattan! As a business student who is constantly recruiting for the next job, I also plan to evaluate how major corporations (some of your favorite brands) support the LGBTQ+ community and their queer employees. This could not only benefit others, but would definitely benefit me, doing the due diligence that I was planning on doing anyway. Living right outside NYC (in Jersey), I’m eager to check out these places! And if I do not find the time now, I plan on living in NYC after I graduate from college in a couple of years!
About the Author
Daniel Simpson, born and raised in New Jersey, studies Business and Theatre at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). He is the Media Coordinator for the Be A Friend Project, an international nonprofit focused on Bullying Prevention and Kindness Activism. When not working or studying, you can find Daniel performing, cooking, staying active, or going on an adventure with family or friends.