Diversity Rules Magazine

3 Diversity Rules Magazine April 2020 Joey Amato is the publisher of Pride Journeys, the premier source for LGBT travel. Joey publishes des na on reviews in addi on to life- style content that is both insigh ul and engaging to LGBT readers. Joey has spent the majority of his career dedicated to the LGBT community, hav- ing contributed to numerous publica ons around North America. In addi on, he owns Agency33 Public Rela ons, a full-service firm specializing in LGBT outreach. I quickly discovered that I couldn't possibly cover all that New York City has to offer in just one ar cle, so I decided to break up my experience into regions. In this piece, I'll talk about all of the incredible sights and a rac ons available in downtown New York. Well, for the purpose of this ar cle, the area from Times Square and south. This isn't what New Yorkers typically consider as downtown, but this is the region I'll be refer- ring to. Within this area is the Green- wich Village, which was pre y much the epicenter of the LGBTQ community in NYC in the 70's and 80's, before people started movin' on up to swanky Chelsea or Hell's Kitchen, two neighborhoods that weren't so swanky un l the gays took over. I had the pleasure of staying at the Millennium Hil- ton Downtown. The high-rise structure offers some of the best views of lower Manha an you will ever see. We all know the saying. Loca on. Loca on. Loca on, and quite frankly, the hotel's loca on is absolutely perfect on so many levels. Not only is it directly across the street for the World Trade Cen- ter, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and the Oculus, but it's also within a block of numerous subway sta- ons. A journey uptown to Penn Sta on or Times Square will only take you about 15-20 minutes and the hotel is within walking distance to both the South Street Seaport and Wall Street. As I entered my room, I was greeted by walls of glass and unobstructed views of the World Trade Center campus. I arrived in the evening, so the view was simply breathtaking and made for some wonderful late-night photos. What really struck me about this property was the glass-enclosed indoor swimming pool. This is quite a rare treat for a New York City property. I don't think I've ever stayed at a hotel in the city with a pool. Those traveling with children will love this feature of the hotel and I was also happy to see that the pool is also handicapped accessible. Growing up in Queens, New York, my friends and I were always enamored by Greenwich Village, or more specifically, the West Village. What is interes ng is that I fell in love with the gayest neighborhood in NYC before I even real- ized I was gay. I guess it was a sign for what was to come. The most iconic landmark of the West Village is of course The Stonewall Inn. Last year, The Stonewall Inn celebrated the 50th anniver- sary of the historic Stonewall Uprising. Not too far away are a variety of LGBTQ bars including The Duplex Cabaret and Piano Bar, Pieces, The Monster and Julius', the la er are two of the oldest LGBTQ bars in the Village. Cheyenne Jackson and Adam Lambert have both Pride Journeys - Con't on page 6 Pride Journeys New York City By Joey Amato

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