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A Gay Old Time in New Hope PA |
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by Bruce-Michael Gelbert, with Joseph R. Saporito
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| The 8 contestants - photo by Bruce-Michael Gelbert |
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I had gone to New Hope, the quaint, artistic, historic town, and a popular gay destination, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River, for a number of daytrips, for Santa Saturday, the Bucks Motorcycle Club's leather-and-bear, fundraising event and so on, but had not actually spent a night there since the late 1980s. Needing a quick getaway within easy reach, my partner, Joe, and I spent three days at the Raven (385 Bridge Street, www.TheRavenResort.com), New Hope's gay resort, at once a place to eat, drink, cruise, stay, and be entertained, at the beginning of April and found our accommodations, including queen-size bed, DVD and CD players, and wireless Internet access, spacious and comfortable, and Terrence, Sean and the others, most welcoming.
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| Easter Bunny & Conductor - photo by Bruce-Michael Gelbert |
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Well taken care of at the Raven's restaurant by our waitperson, entertainer Pumpkin, we enjoyed a meal of paté maison, fruit and goat cheese salad, beef tournedos, rack of lamb, and Key lime pie. We sang at the piano bar, in the Oak Room, with pianists Russell--a sight in his pink Easter bonnet--and Michael. Two-year-old Gaydar magazine ( www.gaydarmagazine.com), out of Allentown, celebrated the publication of its new issue there, with entertainment provided by a quintet of strippers. (Strippers are a regular feature at the Raven on Thursdays at 10:30 pm.) There was also a swimsuit contest, hosted by "ebony enchantress" Victoria Lace, in which eight young men competed. Matthew, winner by audience acclaim, goes on to compete in Asbury Park and Montréal.
more photos ...
visit the gallery by Bruce-Michael Gelbert & Joseph R. Saporito
We tried a couple of the other restaurants-cum-bars listed in the 2006 Philadelphia and New Hope FunMaps ( www.funmaps.com), Triumph Brewing Company (400 Union Square, www.triumphbrewing.com)--in the complex next to the historic New Hope and Ivyland Railroad depot ( www.newhoperailroad.com), at Bridge and Main Streets, where the Easter Bunny was making a personal appearance--and Havana (105 South Main Street, www.havananewhope.com), both gay friendly, but mixed. At the former, they brew all their own beer, ale and stout in huge vats on the upper level, and on the lower level, we heard acoustic guitar group Unamed (that's unnamed with one n) play. At the latter, which, despite the name, is not a Cuban restaurant, but boasts a Caribbean look, we had duck breast and guacamole (me) and a hot pork and provolone sandwich (Joe). At Union Square, we also looked in at the James A. Michener Art Museum ( www.michenerartmuseum.org) and Steppin' Birkenstock Shoes ( www.Steppinbirkenstock.com).
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A restaurant we return to each time we visit New Hope is Karla's (5 West Mechanic Street, www.karlasnewhope.com), with bricks and flagstones beneath one's feet, hanging plants above one's head, and cloth-covered peacock chairs to sit on. We also paused at Grownups across the way (2 East Mechanic Street, www.grownupspa.com), New Hope's answer to the Pleasure Chest. Both are just a few paces from the Bucks County Playhouse (70 South Main Street, www.buckscountyplayhouse.com), which opened in 1939, in what had been a gristmill in the 18th century, and was serving up Stephen Schwartz's "Godspell" for its annual holiday fare.
We had a fine dining experience in unusual surroundings at Marsha Brown (15 South Main Street, contact mcapezio@patmedia.net), a church, with stained glass windows intact, converted to a restaurant, where the emphasis is on seafood with a New Orleans accent. Diagonally across the street is Farley's Bookshop (44 South Main Street, www.farleysbookshop.com), where we bought books on local lore, gifts and DVDs.
A lunch at "California Style Mexican Grille," El Taco Loco (6 Stockton Avenue, www.el-taco-loco.com), which the railroad train passes just after it leaves the depot, completed our New Hope dining experience. One day, we walked across the bridge over the Delaware River to Lambertville, New Jersey, where we ate lunch at Giuseppe's Ristorante (40 Bridge Street, Lambertville, www.giuseppesristorante.com); saw geese, ducks, and swans on the river and the canal; visited a churchyard where American Revolutionary War veterans and their families are buried; and went to antique shops and book shops, including Phoenix Books (49 North Union Street, Lambertville), specializing in the used, rare and out-of-print, where I bought a score of Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde," with the text printed in German and French.
Back in New Hope, our travels took us to Fred Eisen Leather Designs (129 South Main Street, www.fredeisenleather.com), for new harness boots, and Sterling Leather (97 South Main Street, www.sterlingleather.com), for a leather fanny pack. We satisfied a sweet tooth at County Fair Chocolates (93 South Main Street) and bought rarified souvenirs for special individuals in our lives at Terri's Gifts (32 South Main Street, in the Four Seasons Mall, www.terrisgiftshoppe.com) and Celt-Iberia Traders (15A West Ferry Street, www.celtiberiatraders.com), which specializes in jewelry, glass and other items imported from Ireland and from Spain.
We learned about a number of pertinent upcoming events while we were in New Hope. On April 22 at 2 pm, at the Stephen Buck Theatre in New Hope-Solebury High School, the Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus and Rainbow Room Youth appear in "Sing Out-Loud and Proud," a benefit for the Rainbow Room for LGBT youth. April 26 is "Dining Out for Life" (www.diningoutforlife.com) night at the Raven, when a portion of the restaurant's proceeds will go to ActionAIDS.
more photos ...
visit the gallery by Bruce-Michael Gelbert & Joseph R. Saporito
May 18 to 20 is New Hope Celebrates' (www.NewHopeCelebrates.com) fourth annual LGBT Pride weekend, with a theme of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and events including performances on the 18th by the LOL Tour and the Glamazons, at New Hope-Solebury High School (show at 7:30 pm, silent auction at 6:45 pm), and Christine Havrilla, at Triumph Brewing Company (10 pm).
During our early April visit to New Hope, we experienced rain, sun, and snow flurries in quick succession. (Think of those guys, shivering outside the Raven's enclosed patio, waiting to strut their stuff in the swimsuit contest!) Before long, though, there will be mule-drawn barge rides on the canal once again and flowers and trees will be in full bloom. Happy Spring!
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