Gay Los Angeles

West Hollywood: compact and walkable by LA standards

West Hollywood is the main gay neighbourhood in Los Angeles. It is also one of the very few parts of Los Angeles that is genuinely walkable. Santa Monica Boulevard from roughly La Cienega to Fairfax has the concentration of gay bars, clubs, and related businesses. WeHo, as it is uniformly called, is an incorporated city rather than a neighbourhood of LA proper, which gives it some autonomy over its policing and policies. That has historically made it a safer and more reliably gay-friendly environment.

The scale is smaller than you might expect for a city the size of LA. The main bar strip is a few blocks long. You can walk from one end to the other in ten minutes. This is the one part of the city where you do not need a car to go out, and a lot of gay visitors to LA base themselves here for exactly that reason.

Silver Lake: the alternative side

Silver Lake is east of Hollywood, about fifteen minutes from WeHo by car and about a lifetime away in atmosphere. The gay and queer scene here is younger, more alternative, less circuit-party. Bars are smaller and less slick. The crowd is more likely to have visible tattoos and less likely to be in matching tank tops. Silver Lake also has a longer history as an LGBTQ+ neighbourhood than WeHo — the community there predates the incorporation of West Hollywood.

The two scenes attract different people and have limited crossover. If you are going to WeHo for your nights out, you will probably not bother making the drive to Silver Lake unless you specifically want what it offers. And the reverse is also true.

Santa Monica and Long Beach

Santa Monica has a beach gay scene, scattered rather than concentrated. There is a stretch of beach around the Santa Monica pier area that sees a gay crowd on weekends, and some bars in the city that have gay nights or a gay following. It is not a standalone destination for gay nightlife but worth knowing about if you are staying on the Westside.

Long Beach has its own established gay area, separate from both WeHo and Silver Lake. The Broadway Corridor in Long Beach has gay bars that have been running for decades. It attracts a more local crowd, less tourist-heavy, and the prices are lower than WeHo. It is about 30 minutes south of downtown LA by car.

About the car situation

You cannot do Los Angeles without a car unless you confine yourself entirely to West Hollywood. Even getting from WeHo to Silver Lake requires a rideshare or a friend with a car. The metro exists and is improving, but it does not connect the gay areas in any useful way. If you are planning to split time between WeHo and Silver Lake, budget for Ubers. If you are renting a car, parking in WeHo on a weekend night is genuinely painful. Most venues have parking structures nearby but you will pay for them.

Bars

• AVALON Hollywood
• Bullet Bar — Drink specials attract a crowd at this casual hangout & nightclub with pub food & lively events.
• Dolby Theatre — The Dolby Theatre is a live-performance auditorium in the Hollywood and Highland Center shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, United States.
• Eagle la — Long-standing gay hot spot caters to a leather-wearing crowd, with cheap beer nights & DJs.
• Los Angeles Convention Center — The Los Angeles Convention Center is a convention center in the southwest portion of downtown Los Angeles.
• Midtowne Spa — The basement is a good place to have a good time and have some private fun. Recommend you bring paper bills, that's what the vending machine takes. Don't forget to bring your own slippers. They do have parking. It is the building on right side of the spa.
• Montecillo De Leo Politi Park — This area of Elysian Park with a picnic area & grassy lawn can be reserved for private events.
• Pantages Theatre — The Hollywood Pantages Theatre, formerly known as RKO Pantages Theatre, is located at Hollywood and Vine, in Hollywood. Designed by architect B. Marcus Priteca, it was the last theater built by the vaudeville impresario Alexander Pantages.
• The Abbey — One of the best gay bars anywhere! If you're looking for fun, great people, good drinks, and amazing dancers- you should come here!
• Walt Disney Concert Hall — The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown of Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It opened on October 24, 2003.

For the full breakdown, see the LA gay bars guide.

Saunas

See the LA gay saunas guide for details.

Hotels

West Hollywood is the obvious base if you want walking distance to the bar scene. It is not cheap. The Sunset Strip and the surrounding streets have a range of options from boutique hotels to major chains. If budget is a priority, staying somewhere on the metro Purple Line gives you reasonable access to WeHo without the WeHo hotel prices. Silver Lake has some smaller guesthouse options if you want to base yourself on the alternative side.

• Coral Sands Motel — This 2-floor low-rise hotel is half a block from the shops and restaurants on Hollywood Boulevard, a 3-minute walk from the Hollywood/Western metro stop and 1.9 miles from the Hollywood Bowl amphitheater. Rooms and suites overlook a central courtyard with an outdoor pool and Jacuzzi. Simple in-room amenities include free WiFi, TVs, minifridges and coffeemakers plus en suite bathrooms; suites have a living area. There is a microwave in a communal room for guest use, a coin-operated laundry
• Courtyard Los Angeles LAX — This modern hotel is less than a mile from the Los Angeles International Airport and 4.9 miles from Manhattan Beach. Contemporary-styled rooms offer free WiFi, desks with ergonomic chairs, flat-screen TVs with premium cable channels, minifridges and coffeemakers. Social spaces include a living room-style lobby and an outdoor courtyard. The American restaurant serves breakfast and dinner as well as all-day drinks, including Starbucks coffee. There's also a business center with workstations
• DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Pedro — Overlooking a marinand beach in the Los Angeles Harbor, this upscale hotel near the Port of Los Angeles is a 9-minute drive from Interstate 110. All rooms offer contemporary decor and custom-designed beds, plus flat-screen TVs and WiFi (fee). Some have balconies. Suites add separate living and dining areas, plus kitchenettes. There's a chic seafood restaurant and bar with a patio. Guests can access an outdoor pool and sundeck, as well as a fitness center. Additional amenities include 16,0
• Elan Hotel — This modern boutique hotel is a 4-minute walk from the high-end shopping and dining options at the Beverly Center, and about 2 miles from both West Hollywood nightlife and Beverly Hills. Warm rooms with goose-down bedding and padded leather headboards and benches feature free WiFi and flat-screen TVs, plus minifridges, coffeemakers and eco-friendly bath products. Suites add sitting areas with pull-out sofas. In-room dining is also available. Free amenities include expanded continental bre
• Hampton Inn & Suites Los Angeles/Sherman Oaks — Off Interstate 405, this modern lodging is a 13-minute drive from Universal Studios, and Hollywood is 11.5 miles away. The classic rooms include free WiFi and custom-designed beds, plus both full and lap desks (for working on the bed), flat-screen TVs with HD channels, coffeemakers, minifridges and microwaves. Suites add wet bars and some have pull-out sofas. A free on-site hot breakfast (daily) and weekday breakfast bags to go are offered. Other amenities include an indoor heated pool an
• Hotel Bel-Air — Set amid secluded gardens, this 1922 Spanish mission-style luxury hotel is a mile from the Fowler Museum at UCLA and 3 miles from Beverly Hills. Lavish, midcentury-inspired rooms with garden entrances feature WiFi (fee), flat-screen TVs, iPads for room-service orders, and bathrooms with heated limestone floors; some offer fireplaces, infinity pools, patios and/or balconies. Opulent suites add living rooms and/or Jacuzzis. Amenities include a free car service, a posh bar celebrating music
• Hotel Erwin — This hip hotel overlooking the Venice Beach Boardwalk is an 8-minute walk from the trendy restaurants and shops on Abbot Kinney Boulevard and a 10-minute walk from the Venice Canals. Colorful rooms with bold carpets and drapes feature free WiFi and flat-screen TVs, plus premium bedding and private balconies with some city or partial ocean views. Suites add kitchens and/or separate living and dining areas. Microwaves and in-room spa treatments (fee) are available. Amenities include free pa
• Hotel Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills — Set opposite upscale shopping at the Beverly Center, this high-end, contemporary hotel is 1.6 miles from Los Angeles County Museum of Art and 4 miles from TCL Chinese Theatre. The warm, modern rooms feature custom-designed beds, plus free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, Bose sound systems and minibars. Some add views of the Hollywood Hills and/or private patios. Suites add living rooms with pull-out sofas. There's a classy restaurant serving classic French cuisine, a chic lounge bar and a patio,

Events

• Los Angeles Pride — Date TBA

LA Pride runs in June and is one of the largest Pride events in the United States. The parade goes through West Hollywood. Outfest is the LGBTQ+ film festival, running in July, with screenings at venues across the city. It is one of the most respected film festivals of its kind.

Practical notes

• Car: You need one for anything outside West Hollywood. Plan rideshare costs into your budget if you are moving between neighbourhoods at night.
• WeHo parking: The city has parking structures on side streets off Santa Monica Boulevard. They charge, but they are more reliable than street parking on a weekend.
• Cost: Los Angeles is expensive. Drinks in bars run $12-18. Hotels in WeHo are priced accordingly. Pride weekend in June makes everything worse.
• Weather: LA has essentially good weather year-round. Summers can be very warm inland; the coast stays cooler. Rain is uncommon outside December and January.
• Timing: WeHo bars fill from 10pm. Clubs from midnight. Silver Lake runs later and more loosely timed.

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