Fire Island: What is it?

Fuck Fire Island... where's that pic from?!

FI isn't a tourist trap. Too hard to get to and too few accommodations.

I'm 50, and I've only been to SF on OP's list.

And how does OP know about Leona Helmsley?

That picture is from my favorite scene in gay porn history, "Male Tales" (Kristen Bjorn). I want to watch that scene in Ultra HD.

The percentage of gay men who DO look like porn stars is MUCH HIGHER than 5%.

Try more like 25% - 30%.

One of the great things about being gay is that we DO stay fit more than straight people do and we are hotter.

So quit making excuses for yourself, OP.

0/10

I don't think any of them are tourist traps, although they can get expensive. And if you make a commitment to go to Provincetown, Key West or Fire Island, it's a bit difficult to get away or save any money once you're there. Each of those locations are somewhat far away or remote. So once you're there--you're there. It's not like you can look for a less expensive hotel and commute into these locations. For the most part, you're stuck there until you're stay is over. But each location has it's merit, and each can be lots of fun. But do your homework before planning your vacation. Each location has its own personality and limitations. Provincetown is great, but it isn't nearly as "wild" as Fire Island, if in fact, Fire Island is still wild. Key West is hours away from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, and is full of cruise ships, so it might a lot straighter than you anticipated. Know before you go and spend a fortune, which you will.

OP: I wouldn't mind be trapped with those big dick, uncircumcised hunks in your photo. Damn, make my reservations.

I'm not gay enough to build a vacation around my sexual orientation.

There is still time R9. P-Town for the win. I love it.

Ptown has a real sense of community. Small town, lots of gays, no need for a car. Get to know your neighbor or that guy you're cruising. There's a good chance you won't lose him.

Aren't all these places just excuses for a bunch of horny gay men to get together to have anonymous sex?

The problem with FI is that it's hard to visit for just one weekend. Although I think there's a hotel, it's insane expensive. Mostly everyone has to rent summer-long shares of houses (or have friends who do).

I love P-Town. A great mix of gay and straight plus many families--both gay and straight.

P-Town has some of the best energy I have ever experienced.

Yes, R12.

Which makes me wonder if OP truly wants a nice vacation or if he would be just as happy going to a sex party or bathhouse, both of which are MUCH cheaper.

I don't understand gay men who have to "live gay" all day long. And all their friends are gay men and they go to gay bars and want to go on gay vacations. It's like they have no interests other than being gay.

How do you get a share at FI? Anybody worked the process?

r16 Maybe because some of have to live in the straight world 24 and 7, so being among our own for a week or a few hours brings us a little happiness.

I used to think that R16. I go to a place in vt for gay men. Generally I like it. It's pleasant and a break from the usual.

[quote] I don't understand gay men who have to "live gay" all day long. And all their friends are gay men and they go to gay bars and want to go on gay vacations. It's like they have no interests other than being gay.

Bingo R16

My friends and I call guys like that "Professional Homos"-- you sort of feel like upon meeting someone they shake hands and say "Hi. Bob Smith, homosexual. Glad to meet you."

That's one of the fascinations I have with DL, that so many of the older gay men seem to live in that sort of world. I always assumed it was because they had to deal with so much prejudice--sort of how immigrant groups are very insular when they first come to America because they are not accepted by mainstream society. Two gay guys at a straight resort hotel back in 2000 would have been uncomfortable.

What is this - a fucking zoo, R20? An anthropology class?

As one of those older gay guys you condescend to, R20, I'm glad your experience has been so easy. I'm jealous, too. You are obviously far more fortunate than you know.

Most people don't go to Fire Island or Provincetown to live. They go for a week or two in the summer.

It's great to be in a place where people don't care that you're gay, You can let your guard down, often for the only time all year.

Obviously, this was more true in earlier generations, but still these places can be a haven for those who cannot be who they really are.

No, these place are not just excuses to have anonymous sex. Obviously, people can go with that hope, but you don't have to go there to have anonymous sex nowadays.

People of all different stripes show up there. Single people, couples, families, friends.

The five times I've been to Provincetown, I never had anonymous sex. I went with a BF and/or with other friends. We just had lots of fun hanging out, drinking, dancing, shopping, etc. It's more low key that those posting here who have never been there might believe.

R17, around now, you can start looking at gay-focused magazines. Some realtors will advertise they have shares available.

I recall there used to be expo-like events where you could find roommates and rent shares, but I haven't looked into it in a long while.

Renting Shares in Fire Island

Isn't Key West mostly straight people now?

P-town is still awesome. Very friendly. Nicely mixed and everyone gets along.

Fire Island is a nightmare. The self-appointed A-gays of NYC go there i an attempt to outdo each other. It's boring. A ton of vapid sugar boys using their daddy's houses and dreaming they're going to inherit them someday.

Key West, the most beautiful of all mentioned. Very straight now, thanks to cruise ships. The city is still massively gay, gay operated and very supportive of the entire GLBT community.

If you do a share how do find people you like?

[quote]Fire Island is a nightmare. The self-appointed A-gays of NYC go there i an attempt to outdo each other. It's boring. A ton of vapid sugar boys using their daddy's houses and dreaming they're going to inherit them someday.

Fire Island can be really nice if you get a share with a bunch of friends who are just there to have fun and aren't obsessed with social status.

[quote]Key West, the most beautiful of all mentioned. Very straight now, thanks to cruise ships. The city is still massively gay, gay operated and very supportive of the entire GLBT community.

How can it be "very straight now " if it's still "massively gay?"

It sounds like it's for those with money to burn.

I agree, R23. I like to go to Ptown with my partner because we can walk down the street there holding hands, watch sunsets on a public beach with my head on his shoulder, and kiss each other whenever we feel like it -- all things we can't do in the city that we live in.

Key West is stunning but very expensive. When I'm there I usually stay in Marathon.

I don't think Key West is stunning. It's charming but no beach really. It's sort of a waste/letdown and then all those 1980's and 90's cruisers reliving spring break. It's horrid.. Provincetown and the Cape seem much more naturally beautiful than Key West.

It's heaven, OP. If you go, be sure to stay in Cherry Pines and not the other place. These distinctions matter so much to those in the know.

I spent many fun weekends there in my youth; yes, I was young and pretty and it got me some free nights; had a boyfriend for a while who had an eighth share. We got more quiet time during the week (I worked more weekends then), and with few or no roommates around, we fucked all over the house and poolside,

Yes, there was a lot of sex to be had. The Meat Rack was cruisy, parties and the beach were cruisy. You can get invited to private parties if you're friendly; also, being cute and connected to something important helps (media/publishing later for me).

I splurged on tickets to the GMHC morning parties a few times. Nowadays, I don't have the stamina for all that.

If you don't have/rent a car, it's not an easy haul: Penn Station to Long Island Railroad to a cab to the ferry. It ended up easier to rent/borrow a car to haul groceries; they were pricey on the Island even in the '90s.

It was a sort of paradise for a while.

^^ Great pic!!

Tell us more about the guys in the pic?

What R36 said.

Fire Island is wonderful if you stay in Cherry Grove, I go with my partner and another couple. We rent a house on the beach for a week. It is a wonderful relaxing vacation that does not involve all the cliches you hear about which are about The Pines.

Sounds like a place not for the poor or plain.

Why is West Hollywood on the list? It's mostly straights now. A tiny spec of gayness is still there but the last of the mo's still cling to it. Sad. WeHo was really great back in the day.

I've been to all of the places on the list, and P-town is the one place I have continuously returned to over the years. FI is really beautiful, but as everyone has pointed out it is really isolated and insanely expensive. I haven't been to Key West in a long time, but it wasn't somewhere that I ever need to go back to. Rehobeth is sort of meh, but I only know it from going there with straight friends when I was in college. I live in LA so I don't really think of WeHo as a vacation destination, more like somewhere I have to do errands. It was fun when I moved here, but the gays have moved on.

OP, explore any of these places that strike your fancy, when/if you can. I'm about 20 years older than you, but I did get a taste of some of these places many years ago.

I went to Key West in the 90s, before the hets took over. It was cute, fun, but as noted above, it doesn't really have a beach. I'd sooner go to South Beach, which is also a formerly fab gayborhood.

I enjoy Fire Island every once in a while. It's mostly people out with half-shares or quarter-shares (every other week or once a month). Daytrippers do NOT do well there. It's fun, but I can't help thinking it was at it's height pre-AIDs in the 70s, when everyone was there: Calvin Klein, David Geffen, and Barry Diller all owned beachfront houses. The most beautiful men in the world could be found there.

I no longer even think of San Fran as a gay destination, much less paradise. It's adjacent to Silicon Valley, and that has changed EVERYTHING.

R32 couldn't be more of a bottom.

^ like that's bad??

Try Saugatuck, Michigan. Cheaper, friendlier, and no salt water.

So a quarter is once a month?

I went to Fire Island for the first time on a day trip 15 years ago . It was fun to actually see it after hearing it about for so long.

This past summer, my partner and I shared a house for the weekend in Cherry Grove with another couple. It was my first time back. We ranged in ages from late 30's to early 50's.

It was very enjoyable to get away for a few days. The trek there and back is a drag.

It does have mystique if you're gay and definitely worth visiting.

If you go as a regular person looking for a change of scenery with solid companions is pleasurable.

Going there for the hedonism is obviously possible but depending on your sensibility could lead to disappointment.

Fire Island isn't my favorite place - the ocean is too cold there, for a start.

I go to Mykonos in the summer and Tulum in the winter. For a treat, I've visited the Maldives - Niyama is a gay friendly island with an amazing underwater nightclub.

Niyama, Maldives - very welcoming to gay couples. British TV presenter Rylan Clark Neal and his husband honeymooned here. It's secluded and beautiful.

Even though it skews somewhat older, Palm Springs should be on the list. But it's not really a summer destination unless you're really into heat.

Same with Puerto Vallarta (assuming you remove the "U.S." limitation.)

Palm Springs is a dusty fucking dump filled with million year old people, and no amount of mid century modern and desperate rebranding is ever going to change that.

OP, Fire Island doesn't allow cars, which may explain your inability to see much from Google. You have to walk or bike around the island

FI water generally is too cold to swim until July, unless it's roasting hot. But the beach and the houses are gorgeous. Playa Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica has the best water I have ever been in -- low 80s and no jellies.

So nobody likes Rehoboth Beach?

Have gone to Rehoboth a few times. It's nice but there's less walking around then you get in P Town, Key West, or Fire Island.

It's P-Town I keep going back to. I just get so relaxed there.

That said, the food in all those places is just terrible.

The Maldives has to be experienced to be believed. The beaches are pure white, soft sand and deserted - you won't find rows of sunbeds there. The sea is transparent and the most spectacular shades of blue: turquoise, indigo, azure, cobalt, aqua are all present, just around one island. The ocean is pristine, with no yachts anchored all over to marr its perfection. Select the right island and you can swim with dolphins, sharks, rays, turtles and huge shoals of fish just on the house reef, no need to take a boat out

Obviously every resort island is traffic free and the sweetest, smallest islands have only about 30-50 villas on the entire island.

People on here don't seem to have visited but plenty of Brits have. I've been five times.

The Maldives will be totally submerged within the next half century!

"Aren't all these places just excuses for a bunch of horny gay men to get together to have anonymous sex?"

And, Mary?

They will be submerged in 25 years for sure. The Maldives islands are surreally beautiful. You feel like you're on another planet. On the resort islands they're not homophobic at all. Plenty of UK gay celebs have honeymooned or stayed there. George Michael and Fadi went there.

Fadi in the Maldives

Look how expensive the Cabanas is getting.

Another great thing about the Maldives is the complete absence of the pester factor. The only people allowed on the island are the guests and the very low key staff, no outsiders, no beach traders. The difference between here and the Caribbean or Florida or Hawaii has to be experienced to be believed.

[quote]Try Saugatuck, Michigan. Cheaper, friendlier, and no salt water.

Saugatuck is not nearly as gay as it once was.

As long as Republicans are voted into congress and the White House, wages will never go up. Our lives are very difficult when corporations refuse to give fair wages. Our middle class is going, going, soon to be gone. Then who will pay taxes, rich people don't.

Surprised no one mentions either Fort Lauderdale or Palm Springs, both of which are easily the biggest gay tourist draws nowadays.

Jesus, OP, by no means should you waste 30 years of scrimping on Fire Island. It's like the world dumped all of its cunts on a little strip of sand, where they slowly consume one another.

Aren't Lauderdale and Palm Springs largely eldergays r67? Both are huge gay retirement destinations.

R67, see R52 and try to keep up.

Been to both, FI and PT, Actually own a home in P Town, FI was fun years ago , however would recommend Cherry Grove , unless you are young and beautiful or older and rich . Very expensive. Gorgeous beach. P Town is much more manageable and somewhat affordable, many guest houses , I recommend Fall it is still busy and beautiful. You can rent a bike and go everywhere , lots of hidden gems (Take a a late night bike ride after 1am when the bars let out and there's someone for everyone on a side street walking home). Avoid a themed weekend which seems to be every week now in the Summer , to busy and jacked up prices.

Somewhat correct r69, however more younger are also living in FL now as SOBE has been ruined by all the nasty partying straights , Hip Hop Artists and Reality (Stars?) I left in 2103 , Only 2 bars left and that Drag Queen Place the Palace. Still that being said the beach is beautiful and easy to get to , But Lincoln Road has been sold out to all large corporations, FL can still be quite affordable but the traffic is really bad,

Listen to this song in your head when reading this thread

I love P-Town, but we stay in one of the campgrounds in Truro. It allows us a break from the crowds but still so close we can be in the middle of it all in 10 minutes.

[R72] what is SOBE. Not everyone know your abbreviations and are you a time traveler?

R75 I'm not R72, but I assume it's South Beach.

And don't but brackets around R#. It just creates duplicate brackets.

What about the Oqunquit Maine? Isn't that supposed to be a gay destination?

Oh, please, whose flying all the way out to the Maldives?

Rehoboth is fine, the beach is nice, the water isn't, sort of brown and silty. You definitely have the boardwalk, mid-Atlantic vibe going. It's fun but I actually miss going to P-Town, I don't miss going to Reho.

The worst thing about Rehomo is it's full of guys from DC.

'Oh, please, whose flying all the way out to the Maldives?'

People with decent grammar and six figure salaries, R78. People who appreciate privacy and serenity and exclusivity. These places you're all discussing sound dreadful.

Uhhh has anyone checked out Maldives on Wikipedia? Gays are put to death there.

Sharia law doesn't operate on the resort islands, you imbecile. Gay couples honeymoon there. Fadi and George Michael were there regularly.

And now GEORGE MICHAEL IS DEAD!!!

I can't expect you Yanks to get excited about the Maldives when most of you don't even own a passport and your idea of a holiday is P-Town. You're all hopeless.

What do they have in common? They are a royal pain in the ass to get too. Straights are trying to get rid of the gays at least in Rehoboth.

Rehoboth is full of closet queens from DC and VA

[quote]Sharia law doesn't operate on the resort islands, you imbecile. Gay couples honeymoon there.

Empty-headed gays who have no qualms about supporting homo-hating regimes.

Fire island is beautiful - not compared to the Indian Ocean, but one of the pretties east coast beaches I've been to. If you live in NYC, it's fine for a weekend. Food is expensive, but you can bring your own and get whatever you forgot at the "super market". The drinks are no more expensive than manhattan. I prefer the Pines, but Cherry Grove is not bad either.

I go with friends/my BF just to relax and hang out. Many of my friends use it for a sex-filled vacation, so you can do whatever you want.

R85, you seem like someone who wouldn't fit in well anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon Line I'm sure when people in the Maldives (or anywhere else you travel) cringe when they see you or hear your annoying twang.

I feel like I would be disappointed with Fire Island if I traveled from far away to get there. There's just not a lot to do. Cherry Grove at least has some restaurants and a few shops, but the Pines is literally just laying on the beach or sitting by a pool combined with the Pavilion and Sip and Twirl. I like it and the beaches are gorgeous, but it's relatively convenient going a few times per summer from NYC. I say relatively because even coming from the city is a nightmare of trains, shuttle buses and ferries.

Provincetown has much more going on and the people are less pretentious. Ptown is good for a week vacation, whereas I can't really stand Fire Island for more than 3 days.

What r90 said.

Thank you R88.

I've met many a Brit in P-Town. They all love it. Snob at R85. You are exactly the kind of person most of us are trying to avoid.

I'm not a Southerner, I'm British. Holidaying in P-Town would be like us Brits holidaying in Brighton. Sure, we might go there for a long weekend, but for a fortnight's vacation? Nope, the world is a bit bigger and more beautiful than that. I don't want my major holidays to revolve around being gay and seeing other gay people, I want to explore the planet with my partner.

But I guess you guys in the US only get a paltry two weeks vacation a year, whereas in the UK we get six weeks minimum. Most of you don't even have passports, which I find incredible. Too right I am a snob about that.

OP your title should read, "Fire Island: What WAS it?

Is it called Fire Island because it's full of flamers?

R75 if you do not know what SOBE stands for and are gay , you are to ignorant or poor to travel anywhere. It was the epicenter of gay life during the whole restoration era in the past 90's - early 2000. My point was a lot of younger gays have fled and do live in FL.

Didn't the Pav burn down?

Palm Springs is bigger than all the rest of the gay destinations put together, so if you want sex go there. I hardly think it would interest a Brit, however. What might, however, is Guerneville on the Russian River because it's in the middle of redwood groves and near enough to SF and Napa for touring. Not to mention Korbel champagne vineyards are just out of town. That said, accommodations tend to be less than luxurious.

R96 Gay Snub

R20, I laughed.

I'm reading through this thread and see pretty much the same half-dozen places being discussed. I'm 59 and my other half is 64. We travel a lot. One gay resort town together in seven years (Palm Springs), but we didn't stay at a gay hotel. Where do we go? Just great places made famous by no one. Useless to mention 'em here because a) they wouldn't be DL style, and b) I'd honestly hate myself if by some weird quirk, people actually got interested and went, and then killed the magic. Not that there's a lot of risk, but still.

So you can debate P'town* vs. Fire Island* vs. the Maldives vs. Saugatuck vs. Rehoboth* vs. Key West* as much as you want. (*Been there) Glad that the homos are still showing the flag -- honest -- but we're over that.

save up your money for 20 years and go to Sitges or Gran Canaria. Any 51 year old can get laid at places like that. Sitges is more pleasant if you ask me. The Canaries have a bad vibe.

You'll be too old at that point for sexual tourism in many places. Who knows what new destinations might exist, by then.

R93 compares P-Town to Brighton, then you obviously have never been to P-Town. It is nothing like it.

Why would anyone need to save up for 20 years to go to Gran Canaria? Are you guys on minimum wage or something?

Says the A-lister

seriously, can you guys see beyond the great u s of a? in the uk, even people on benefits have overseas holidays.

R105, calm down. I've been all over the world- gay and straight places. For a weekend trip, it doesn't make sense to fly to Sitges or the Maldives. Fire island is a great weekend getaway that is actually very beautiful and a guaranteed fun time.

I bet most of the Americans on this site have traveled internationally- they are just responding to the OP.

R105, if you're in the UK, "overseas" means the fuckin' channel. Besides, with so much to see in the U.S., why do we need to go anywhere else?

R107, there isn't that much to see in the US. There's nothing earlier than the 16th century, for one thing and no views to match those in parts of Greece and Italy.

R108 I was recently asked about where to go in the US by Australians. I replied, well there is a certain sameness to the cities but there are some beautiful natural sights. The list is long. I was even surprised. There are indeed great views all over the US. Granted the Mediterranean is very special but also very crowded.

The Maldives are the number one recruitment pool for ISIS. But they are gorgeous.

All the Muslim countries are a recruitment pool for ISIS, but the resorts are supposedly secure as they are on islands far away from the main capital, Male. Having said that, if a few terrorists did manage to infiltrate an island, they could rampage for hours, gunning down the rich in their water villas without any interference. There are no police on the resort islands or even armed guards and the nearest police are a seaplane ride away.

If a terrorist rampage happened even once, the Maldives would immediately have to reduce their over-priced holidays as no-one would be paying $1k a night to get killed. I would go straight away to take advantage of the cheap prices.

R109, the Med isn't crowded if you know where to go. Some parts of Greece and Italy are still very unspoilt. If you hire a car or a yacht, there are secluded coves to find which are deserted even in high season and perfect for swimming - warm, calm, clear turquoise water. The US struggles with offering calm warm sea, except for maybe Florida and even there it's often rough.

[quote]The US struggles with offering calm warm sea, except for maybe Florida and even there it's often rough.

Oh, really?

Long Island Sound. Not the open sea, but calm and warm.

Although I don't hang out with them (I'd be bored witless) I know a fair few 'A' Gay money bore types, and Sitges is where they seem to go now. (Barcelona is apparently 'over' in their book.) Also Sydney where there are great beaches & gays everywhere and its nearby Palm Beach where George Michael had a beach house, & Byron Bay further south. (Think Hamptons in terms of stratospherically expensive). There's a gorgeous part of Sydney called Watsons Bay which is like a warmer Fire Island, and only 15 minutes from the CBD, but again you need to be a merchant banker to live there. I don't know Sitges at all, but the Oz places are lovely except in summer, which can be crushingly hot and humid. The scene in Sydney can be brutal unless you're a looker. For gays its probably the most body fascist city on earth.

Ft. Lauderdale? An ugly city where the main activities for gays on disability are the beach, the gym, drinking, and their doctor appointments. 75% of gays there are HIV+- be careful. 1 mile away from the beach and you may as well be in Port Au Prince, Haiti.

Fire Island Pines is an enclave of gorgeous houses accessed by a myriad of elevated wooden walkways, with mostly A-gays who transport their luggage from the ferry to their abode in cute little red wagons. There are a few restaurants, a few shops, and a few bars and clubs—including Sip and Twirl, the name of which is almost like a parody of a gay bar—and that's about it. Mostly white, younger gays and up-and-coming A gays co-exist peacefully with the eldergay old guard, who've been spending their summer weekends on FIP since the 70s or 80s. There is one hotel, The Boatel, that no one stays at. Most newcomer shares and accommodations are made ahead of time at the 'Share-a-Thon' at the LGBT Center/NYC in January and February.

While FIP has its charms, imo Provincetown is much more charming, more diverse, there's more to do, and it's friendlier.

Forgot this link:

$20 to be rejected is way too much.

And there's this:

I just returned from Sydney, the weather was shit., rainy and cloudy the whole time. Really weird and so in opposition to my expectations. Sad. Beaches are gorgeous and I love their pool culture, unfortunately I didn't get to enjoy it.

Why Fire Island Pines is the most special gay place on earth.

I've always liked Galveston TX.........just beautiful............>TRY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mykonos has superb weather if you go in the summer. September is best after the school holidays so the families have departed. Great clubs, gorgeous turquoise sea, very warm water.

It's an island Rose, made entirely of fire.

That guy in the video is in denial....not called names?????? Everyone dishes each other out there! He forgot to mention catching lyme disease from the deer and AIDS from the guys who like the same music the same drinks. And he forgot to mention the same drugs. And the tears from all of the drama. The lesbians and gay men hardly mix together. He neglected to mention the outrageous cost, the attitude, and the long schlep to get there. It is a "special" place for sure.

Anyone been to Malaga Spain? My BF is trying to convince me to go there.

If you've never been to FIP, think about going on July 4th for the the FIP Invasion. And read up on its significance. It's big, goofy fun.

But then again, if drag isn't your thing . . .

R128, it's great but the straights of Long Island have made it so crowded in recent years.

Am I the only one who finds OP's pic completely off-putting? I'm a 100% gay male, but i'd rather watch lesbians bumping pussy than whatever porn video it's from.

Is it really being invaded by straight people? What do they do when they go there?

R127, I've been to Malaga. It's not pretty and very built up.

You should try Nerja or Marbella, on the same coast but much cooler and better looking resorts.

FtL never appealed to me--it sounded like Atlanta with a beach and living in Atlanta was bad enough. P-town and the Cape have a unique ambiance that some people get and others don't--it's a place where cares really drift away for a lot of people--a pleasant pace, lots of creatives, touristy but you don't feel oppressed by it. Rehoboth strikes me as pretty generic--there are actually two beach towns with Dewey Beach being the more upscale. It's a nice enough place but the gay area is rather small and the atmosphere of the place is not unlike a lot of there mid-Atlantic resort towns--a bit more upscale than some (Rehoboth has made something of a comeback over the past couple decades) but not special in the way of P-town. A good time for P-town is shortly after Labor Day--cheaper, fewer people, but everything is still open and the weather is mild.

[quote]I have no business thinking about a vacation but if I save up for maybe 30 years…

Jesus Christ, America. You work your countrymen to the bone.

Fire Island was maybe once the denizen of "A-Gays" when being gay was something not tolerated elsewhere.

But these days it's decidedly the Gay Ghetto on the Beach. If you're in your 20s it'll be new and exciting and share houses are fun. Much beyond that and it's really only there for the occasional ironic drop in, or renting a house with actual friends for a week and enjoying the beauty of the island once the weekend crackheads are gone.

It used to be the place to go for a sex holiday if you're into that type of thing, but honestly it's easier and less trouble (and no trains, boats and rickshaws involved) to get laid in the city.

In short, it's tragic.

[quote]the epicenter of gay life during the whole restoration era in the past 90's - early 2000.

Lawdy!

Fire Island is the worst of Chelsea on a sand bar.

If you are going to save up for a big summer vacation, it seems to me all the a-gays go to Mykonos

It's a nuclear bomb test site, Rose.

Fire Island is the most physically beautiful of the group. Everyone bashes it for being a gay ghetto - but it’s one of the few left. Key West and Ptown both have significant straight presence. They are also towns rather than a nature preserve like Fire Island. A truly unique spot geographically with beautiful beaches - and the absence of cars and wooden walkways make it feel like a fairytale land.

It’s complicated and expensive to get a place to stay -but that adds to its uniqueness. Unlike Key West or Ptown where there are tons of straight daytrippers and families. It’s truly a unique one-of-a-kind place. Don’t expect lots of sex though - that’s mostly history now. Kinda like in NYC.

I think the comparison of Ptown to Brighton is a good one. Ditto for Key West. “Things to do” doesn’t necessarily equate to a unique relaxing vacation.