Stepping Out

Ever wonder where drag queens hung out a century before RuPaul learned to say platforms? Curious about Audre Lorde's favorite Village haunts? This poignant, irresistibly revealing guide features nine tours that celebrate gay cultural lore, history, and gossip in the gay capital of America: New York City. Designed to be taken on foot but equally enjoyable from any armchair or couch, the tours cover rally sites such as the Stonewall riots, historic homes, bars, clubs, hotels, and gathering places from the turn of the century to the present day. Hundreds of figures are profiled, including the writers James Baldwin, Willa Cather, and Djuna Barnes; actors such as James Dean, Greta Garbo, and Montgomery Cliff; and musical figures Leonard Bernstein, Johnny Mathis, and Ma Rainey. With nearly forty historic and contemporary photographs and a map outlining each tour, this is a delightfully absorbing volume for first-time tourists as well as hard-core natives.