This document promotes five European cities - Amsterdam, Antwerp, Valencia, Vienna, and Zurich - as cool destinations for travel through an initiative called coolcapitals. Each city is described as having vibrant culture, culinary delights, and cutting-edge design. Amsterdam is praised for its canals, greenery, and tolerance. Antwerp is described as vivacious yet down-to-earth with avant-garde fashion and beer pubs. Valencia combines Muslim, Roman, and Christian influences with inspiring cuisine and events. Vienna has trendy clubs, galleries, architecture, and cafes in addition to its classical music reputation. Zurich offers stunning views, luxury shopping, riverside pools, and proximity to

1. There’s a reason Florida is nicknamed “The Sunshine State,” and Miami is the gem of the East Coast. With its world-famous white
sandy beaches and crystal azul waters, you’ll find the perfect spot to relax the day away—and party until the sun comes up again.
Mandarin Oriental, Miami
(mandarinoriental.com/miami) is a
luxurious destination hotel, situat-
ed in Brickell Keys, one of Miami’s
most prestigious commercial and
residential areas, just footsteps away
from downtown Miami and a short
cab ride from South Beach. Upon
arriving, guests will find newly ren-
ovated guest rooms and suites fea-
turing modern chic decor with sim-
ple Asian accents by Atlanta-based
designer Jan Clausen and state-of-
the-art audio-visual equipment—a
Bose sound system, flat screen TV,
DVD/CD player and iPod docking
capabilities. Couple that with reju-
venating bath amenities and a floor-
to-ceiling view of Biscayne Bay and
the downtown skyline, and you’re
set for a truly serene and relaxing
experience. Mandarin Oriental, Mia-
mi is also one of the few pet-friend-
ly hotels in Miami Beach, with many
of the same special treatments for
guests tailored for our four-legged
friends.
Visit Mandarin’s M Bar for the
perfect cocktail, the Lycheetini,
made with the delicious Asian fruit,
for a flavorful experience that will
have your tastebuds ready to start
the party. After drinks, make plans
to dine at Azul, the hotel’s own
signature restaurant, combining
Mediterranean and Asian influences
and featuring fresh seafood and
house-made desserts. Be sure to
try the delicious stone crab, a sea-
sonal delicacy, only available Octo-
ber through May.
Mandarin Oriental, Miami also
boasts several ways to help you
relax. There’s the private Oasis Beach
Club featuring chaise lounges,
cocoon daybeds, hammocks and
private cabanas on the sand of the
hotel’s own private beach, or the
infinity-edge swimming pool and
jacuzzi overlooking Biscayne Bay.
Spend an afternoon relaxing in the
hotel’s refurbished Forbes Travel
Guide Five-Star Award-winning spa
offering innovative treatments from
cultures around the world—go for
the Thai herbal compress ritual,
composed of warm compresses of
herbs and essential oils appplied to
key muscle groups for a truly
bespoke spa experience—and a tree
will be planted in Everglades Nation-
al Park in your honor.
STAY
After a relaxing spa treatment,
get ready to play. When the lights
go down, South Beach will be call-
ing your name—and when you hit
the town, be sure to stop off at
Score (scorebar.net), the gay night-
club and lounge where you’ll hear
international beats by some of the
world’s top DJs, and develop an
international taste in men—Latino,
European, muscle boys and cosmo-
politan fashionistas.
Then the party continues until
the early morning hours at Twist
(twistsobe.com) on Friday and Sat-
urday nights, 1-5 a.m., with vari-
ous rooms playing different genres
of music to get you in the mood—
house, hip-hop and hot go-go
dancers galore. No cover.
PLAY
Stop to shop at the Lincoln
Road Mall, a seven-block pedestri-
an-only street mall, where you’ll find
mainstream and high-end boutique
shops, restaurants lining the side-
walks, art galleries and theaters, pro-
viding a little something for every-
one. At the end of Lincoln Road is
the infamous South Beach itself, with
enough eye candy to keep you busy
all day long.
The Miami-Dade Gay & Les-
bian Chamber of Commerce
recently opened a new LGBT Visitor
Center—a one-stop shop for visitors
and residents to learn about LGBT
and allied businesses where they can
stay, shop and dine in Miami Beach.
Also, the MDGLCC, along with the
Greater Miami Convention & Visi-
tors Bureau and Miami Design Preser-
vation League, now offers 90-minute
guided gay and lesbian walking tours
of South Florida on the fourth Friday
of each month at 6 p.m. Tours depart
from the LGBT Visitor Center and
end at Twist, shedding light on con-
tributions of gays and lesbians to the
history of Miami Beach—and how
gays and lesbians continue to play
a role in shaping the city’s future.
You’ll see some architectural gems as
well as the hot spots of South Beach.
Visit gogaymiami.com for more info.
DO
| BY AARON DRAKE
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2. ELEVATE YOURSELF
One of the perks of living in L.A. is being able to escape to both the beach and the moun-
tains. Take advantage of the colder climate by hitting the slopes with the boys. This winter, Tom
Whitman offers West Coast LGBTs two opportunities to crush fresh powder. Celebrating its ninth
incarnation, Elevation: Mammoth Gay Ski Weekend returns with days full of skiing and
boarding and nights crammed with flirting and grinding. The event proved to be so popular that
it spawned a baby brother in the form of Elevation: Utah. Finally, Utah can revel in something
slightly gayer than the Sundance Film Festival or Mormonism, and much more entertaining.
Whitman created the Elevation weekends in order to provide an alternative to the generic par-
ty scene. It’s easy to get sucked into the WeHo loop and mindlessly flit from Eleven to Micky’s
then Fiesta and back again. Liberate yourself from your rut by rushing down the face of a pris-
tine snow-capped peak. It’ll put those gym-toned muscles to practical use. And, if nothing else,
you can tweak off your own natural endorphins.
If this all sounds too vanilla for you, don't worry. Both Elevation weekends provide nightly
dance parties, as well as apres-ski events designed for intermingling in a more social, bar-orient-
ed environment. This year, expect to shake your tight ass to the fresh sounds of DJ Josh Peace,
DJ Pornstar, DJ Escape and DJ Michael Paul, among others. So plan on spending your days on
the slopes, your nights on the dance floor and in-between, why not enjoy a Hot Toddy with a
hottie named Todd?
To purchase tickets, visit tickets.tomwhitmanpresents.com.
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ELEVATION: UTAH
Park City, Utah
Feb. 18-21
ELEVATION: MAMMOTH
Mammoth, Calif.
Mar. 16-20
¡VIVA LA NOCHE!
A popular Mexican travel destination of the LGBT commu-
nity for decades, Puerto Vallarta has dozens of LGBT-owned-
and-operated businesses—everything from hotels and bars to
stores and restaurants—not to mention the gay beach at Los
Muertos. And with daily nonstop flights from L.A., you can
take your pick of when you’d like to escape.
When looking to vacation in Puerto Vallarta, look no fur-
ther than the exclusive Zona Romantica neighborhood,
where the gay community is able to truly enjoy itself, sur-
rounded by restaurants, bars, nightclubs, galleries and the gay
beach.
Puerto Vallarta is renowned for its sunset-to-sunrise nightlife
options, and the selection of gay bars and nightclubs is stag-
gering—we’re talking just as many as West Hollywood! Check
out Club Mañana, Mexico’s largest gay nightclub complex,
recently named by Out magazine one of the best gay bars in
the world; popular martini bars La Noche and Sama; the
famous Paco’s Ranch, featuring drag shows and dancing;
find male adult entertainers at the new, upscale Wet Dreams
and mainstay Antropology; and over a dozen more LGBT
options within the 10-square-block area of Zona Romantica.
For PV resources, visit gogaypuertovallarta.com and
gayguidevallarta.com.
EXTREME ADVENTURE
If you’re looking for more than an escape from L.A. and need an escape from the daily
drudgery, look no further than our Cali neighbor to the south. San Diego offers a breadth of
high adventure options to get your heart racing and your mind reset.
At San Diego Parasailing Adventures, experience the combined thrills of an offshore
powerboat ride, parachuting and gliding all in one action-packed adventure. The company
offers winch direct parasailing, which allows you to safely take off and land from a flight deck
located on the boat, as opposed to taking off from the beach—ouch! The view while para-
sailing can’t be beat, and it’s even more fun in a group! goparasailing.com
Just outside of San Diego, nestled between the mountains and the city, Skydive San
Diego wants you to see the world from 13,000 feet. Try one of two skydiving options: tan-
dem freefall skydive, where you’re harnessed to a licensed instructor before stepping out into
space, and solo freefall skydive, where you undergo a comprehensive course before jumping
into the unknown wearing your own parachute. Let the adrenaline pimps at Skydive San
Diego hook you up! skydivesandiego.com
Explore Mission Bay from a sea lion’s point of view, both above and below the waterline,
with The Adventure Center. Take a self-guided trip atop an ocean kayak, launching from
the beach into the bay. Bring along a waterproof camera and head into the bay’s super calm
Bonita Cove, a protected snorkel environment protected by large breakwater rocks, providing
an ideal habitat for local sea life and referred to some as an underwater zoo. Check out starfish,
lobsters, stingrays, eels and maybe even an octopus or two. supercooladventures.com
| BY MIKE CIRIACO

3. TAKE TO THE STREETS
Each year, Germany’s capital offers a growing list of festivals, parades, celebra-
tions and annual cultural highlights. Boasting over 1,500 events daily, here’s a
look at some of Berlin’s exciting 2011 events program:
THE 61ST BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (BERLINALE)
Feb. 10-20
For two weeks, art, glamour, parties and business meet at the Berlinale, not only
the city’s largest cultural event, but also an important date for the international
film industry. Film professionals and journalists from 120 countries show up year-
ly, as does the largest audience of any film festival in the world. Up to 400 films
are shown, many of which are world or European premieres. berlinale.de
CARNIVAL IN BERLIN
Feb. 27
Three thousand participants. Sixty floats. Numerous marching bands. More than
one million spectators and participants. The 10th annual Berlin Carnival Costume
Parade gets underway at 11:11 a.m. and moves through the Western center of
Berlin. karnevals-zug-berlin.de
CARNIVAL OF CULTURES
June 10-13
Berlin’ Kreuzberg district will play host to one million enthusiastic patrons cele-
brating cultural and ethnic diversity. One of the city’s most popular events, the
carnival attracts dancers, musicians and singers from 80 different nations. karneval-
berlin.de
LESBIAN AND GAY STREET FESTIVAL
June 18-19
Berlin’s Rainbow Fund presents its 19th festival, the largest of its kind in Europe.
Expecting some 35,000 visitors, the festival takes place around Nollendorf Platz
in Schöneberg district, one of Berlin’s traditional gay stomping grounds. gay-
stadtfest.de
CHRISTOPHER STREET DAY
June 25
Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrates its 33rd anniversary in 2011. Hundreds
of thousands of people trek to the German capital to celebrate equality and toler-
ance for gays and lesbians around the world. Expect to party with half a million in
the streets between Kurfürstendamm and the Victory Column. csd-berlin.de
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4. Zürich
CAPITALIZE ON THE FUN
For a real escape, there’s no better vacation destination than Europe. A joint ini-
tiative of European tourism offices, coolcapitals aims to promote art, architec-
ture, food, fashion and design in five of the coolest cities on the continent—
Amsterdam, Antwerp, Valencia, Vienna and Zürich. Each city is a dazzling metrop-
olis bursting with vibrant culture, culinary delights and cutting-edge design and
architecture.
AMSTERDAM
Besides its lush ‘greenery,’ Amsterdam is perhaps most famous for its lovely canals
that crisscross the city and its reputation for friendliness and tolerance. The city
has also made a name for itself in design—everything from 17th-century Dutch
masters to 21st-century architecture and accessories are all readily accessible
here. Whether you’re an art buff, green-minded or just looking to relax, you’ll
find what you’re looking for in Amsterdam.
ANTWERP
Antwerp is a refreshingly down-to-earth yet vivacious cosmopolitan habitat blessed
with sublime architecture, avant-garde fashion, beer-washed Old World pubs,
jazzed-up clubs, inspired art and countless restaurants serving up superb multi-
cultural dishes. The city is full of a youthful creative energy and an appreciation
for the finer things in life.
VALENCIA
Muslim, Roman and Christian roots intertwine in Valencia, Spain’s best kept
secret, creating a unique character all its own. Inspired local cuisine bursts with
flavor, aroma and color in the birthplace of paella. The city plays host not only
to large-scale sports such as Formula 1 and the America’s Cup, but also events
in art, music and theater.
VIENNA
Anyone who thinks Vienna is only about Mozart is in for a pleasant surprise. Trendy
clubbers, independent gallery curators, shopping addicts, modern architects and
foodies can all cite very good reasons to visit. Though the Austrian capital is a
big, bustling city, its inhabitants know how to enjoy the good life—the city’s
cafés and jazz scene are as remarkable as the concert halls, blockbuster muse-
ums, splendid buildings and nostalgic shops.
ZÜRICH
The stunning view comes free in this beautiful city. Stroll along Zürich’s world-
famous Bahnhofstrasse, with its rows of luxury shops, and the trendy districts of
Zürich-West and Aussersihl. Enjoy culinary delights in the picturesque alleyways
of the Old Town. Relax beside the lake or at riverside pools, transformed into
‘Badibars’ (pool bars) at dusk. And don’t forget Lake Zürich’s gentle breeze and
Alpine panorama.
For more information on these five destinations, visit coolcapitals.com.