ju s t o u t ▼ m ay 17. 1 9 9 6 ▼ 2 9
INTERVIEW
Who answers your phone
when you’re not available?
T raveling mainstream
/ 1N5W E R
A h m e r i c a -
Random House’s Fodor’s imprint
enters the gay guidebook fray
by Daniel Vaillancourt
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I started off with a list of about 50 destinations.
ake room on your bookshelf for
Probably 35 of them were cities, and 15 of them
Fodor’s Gay Guide to the USA.
were smaller resort towns. Eventually we whittled
Slip it between your Damrons,
it down to a shorter list, just because of space.
your Ferraris, and your Betty and
Pansy’s Severe Queer Reviews.
How
did you get “the lay of the land”?
Or stand it against your more conventional
prim­
I had to do it the way that anybody would do it:
ers to great North American cities. For this book
You show up, and you snoop around a little bit. In
boasts the best of both genres.
some cases I knew people to call ahead of time, or
“Fodor’s has guidebooks packed with details
had friends of friends in cities. Other times it was
that are only of interest to parents traveling with
just a matter of driving around. There was a lot of
serendipity, sort of turning comers and finding
good areas. The first thing that I do in any city—
and this is probably what I would recommend
somebody do— is try to find a gay bookstore and
go there. If that’s not an option, then try to find a
their kids, guidebooks that provide specifics for
fairly popular bar. Go there and see if there’s a gay
people with disabilities, guidebooks for Spanish-
newspaper. That is always a good start.
speakers, and guidebooks for skiers,” states
Fodor’ s editorial director Karen Cure. “How could
One criticism I ’ve
we not have a guidebook
heard is that your book is
for people who are gay?”
not gay enough, that you
Wri tten by 27-y ear-old
spend too much time on
former Fodor’s editor An­
“mainstream” establish­
drew Collins— who trav­
ments and attractions.
eled coast to coast for 20
Any comment?
months, and interviewed
I would say about a third
between three and four
of the information in this
hundred locals during his
book i s very speci fic to gays
pilgrimage— Fodor’s Gay
and lesbians. There is vir­
Guide to the USA marks
tually nothing that’s of in­
the first outing into the
terest to gay men and lesbi­
world of gay travel by a
ans in any of these destina­
colossal mainstream pub­
tions that’s not covered.
lisher. (Fodor’s is a divi­
Then the other two-thirds
sion of Random House.)
is the kind of information
Not to be confused
5 that—true—you could call
with George Hobica’s Gay
| mainstream, or could find
USA, released last fall by
o anywhere. My reason for
First Books, Collins’ text
covers 40 destinations,
& doing that is twofold: One,
a number of gay and les­
from major metropolises
such as New York and Los
bian travelers today are
looking for a very gay va­
Angeles to resorts such as Andrew Collins
cation, are looking to go
Key West and Fire Island.
somewhere and really immerse themselves in gay
In addition to visiting the gay meccas, Collins
culture. You can use this book to do that. Cer­
investigates areas where gay men and lesbians
tainly you can find things that are exclusively gay.
are apt to go on business, if not for pure pleasure.
But I think more and more travelers are also
Each chapter, devoted to one spot, begins with an
just looking for places to go where they’ll be
insightful, entertaining introduction. Collins then
welcome, where they’ll feel comfortable, where
gives the reader “the lay of the land,” and pro­
they’ll feel that they can walk around with their
poses best bets as far as “getting around,” “sleeps,”
lover or perhaps meet somebody if they’re on
“eats,” “scenes”— and in some cases, even
their travels and they’re single. And that’s where
“sleaze”—are concerned. Detailed maps round
this book is very handy because it does tell you
out the survey of each locale.
what there is to do in a city—where to go. It tells
I caught up with Collins— who is currently
you as much about the mainstream chain hotels •
homeless, with only a post office box and a voice-
and the big restaurants that are popular with
mail number to his name— in Los Angeles, where
everybody. And yet it’s keeping in mind what the
he is already at work on pocket-size editions of
flavor is of those establishments, how welcoming
future Fodor’s gay guides.
they are toward gays and lesbians.
Vaillancourt: Tell me about the genesis of
What do you think is the significance of
this project.
Fodor’s being the first mainstream travel guide
Collins: I was an editor for Fodor’s for a
company to create a gay guide to the USA?
couple of years, and in September of 19931 left to
It’s a feather in Fodor’s hat, and I think that’s
go freelance and pursue a career from a writing
standpoint as opposed to editing. At that time I
why they wanted to do it. I think it will probably
decided that there really wasn’t something out
inspire others to do it. I think it’s a good thing. It’s
there in terms of a good travel guide for gays and
one more sign of a mainstream business going
lesbians that not only listed things—such as the
after the gay market. And I know a lot of people,
when they hear me say that, say, “Well, I’m a little
Damrons and Ferraris do— but also told you a lot
leery of mainstream people quote unquote cash­
about what places are like when you get there. So
I proposed to Fodor’s that I write a book like that.
ing in.” I definitely defend that, and I don’t see
After a few months or so of going back and forth
that as the case.
and agreeing on the format and how we really
wanted to do this, I began working on it.
Fodor’s Gay Guide to the USA by Andrew
Collins. 1996; $19.50 paper.
How did you select which places to include?
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