If you’re flying into New York’s JFK airport, there are a few options on how you can get to Manhattan Island, both Downtown and Midtown. But there’s one way that’s super cheap and really doesn’t take any longer than a cab ride or airport shuttle.
JMZ Train, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
If your hotel offers a shuttle from JFK, then you should get on board that baby, but if you’re looking at getting into Manhattan on a budget the best way is by the AirTrain which runs directly out of JFK and then catch the subway to your destination. It takes just under an hour – which if you’re caught in traffic to or from the airport, which is more than likely, it could end up being a quicker option. Obviously, it won’t be as picturesque, but you’ll definitely get to people watch and save a lot of dollars.
A cab ride into midtown currently costs over $60 and once you ad tip you’re heading towards $70 – it’s not the cheap way to start off your trip. Or, you can hop on the airport shuttle bus, you’ll find them in the arrivals hall, which is $18 each – so if there’s two of you that’s $38 – plus tip if you’re feeling generous. Or you can spend under $8 and get the AirTrain, which takes around 50-60 minutes.
How to access the AirTrain at JFK.
Subway, New York City
Look for the signs for the AirTrain, you’ll need to get the one that’s heading towards Federal Circle (which is where you’ll find Airport Hotel shuttles and car rental companies and onto Howard Beach Station. This section of your travel is free, so you don’t need a ticket if you’re getting off at Federal Circle.
If you’re going downtown and Lower Manhattan you’ll need the train heading to Howard Beach. If you’re going to Midtown or Upper Manhattan you’ll the Jamaica Station.
Once you arrive at Howard Beach or Jamaica Station, you’ll need to buy your ticket to leave the station and to get your onward travel to Lower Manhatten. Go to the ticket machine and buy a travelcard.
How much does the AirTrain cost from JFK to Manhattan?
It will cost $5 for the AirTrain (which you’ve just travelled on) and $2.75 for the connecting subway. You’ll also be charged $1 for a Metrocard, which you can refill and reuse each time you use the subway, so don’t throw it away.
Once you’ve cleared the gates at Howard Beach or Jamaica, head to the platform which has trains heading towards Lower Manhattan or Midtown.
At Howard Beach, you need to get onboard the A Train – on the Subway map it’s a dark blue colour. At Jamaica, you need to get the E train, it’s also dark blue in colour.
If you’re heading to Upper Manhattan you’ll need to make a change when you’re in Manhattan. Use the MTA’s TripPlanner to find the best route. Trips up to the Upper island will take another 15 minutes or so.
We spent days researching this topic. It’s important to know whether it’s ok to masturbate before going to the gym, or if this is something that’s best left til you’ve showered off. Unfortunately, the results of our research look very inconclusive. There are countless articles, forums, and feeds about each individual lifter’s opinions on the topic.
Does spanking the money before a workout effect your workout?
When asking the question, does masturbation affect your workout, the answer seems to be a resounding… maybe, kinda, yeah no.
Continuing our longstanding obsession with the male hormone, there appears to be a belief across the world wide web that beating one off will somehow drain the testosterone right out of your bloodstream and into oblivion.
Higher t-levels are associated with better athletic performance, whether that’s increased muscle growth or high levels of aggression and intensity. Achieving orgasm, either on your own or with the help of another, will increase your prolactin levels, and temporarily decrease your dopamine. However, while both of these hormones are often associated with testosterone, they don’t decrease the hormone itself.
Having sex on a semi-consistent basis (whatever that means) has shown to increase testosterone levels. And while a study in the World Journal of Urology found that men had higher T levels after abstaining for three weeks, other studies have shown that t-levels peak after a week without ‘release’, and tend to drop dramatically after day 7.
For those that choose to ignore the science, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that shows a temporary drop in performance in the gym after a performance between the sheets.
Other hormones that affect your training
While there may not be a drop in testosterone after orgasm, plenty of other hormones are still in play that could affect your next gym session. The release of oxytocin and prolactin into your body after orgasm could significantly decrease your immediate desire to go to the gym and train at all.
Known as the “cuddle hormone” by the more cutesy scientists, oxytocin combined with prolactin will make you feel good and want to sleep after you jizz; not ideal when you need to go and pick up heavy things or sprint uphill on a treadmill.
Does masturbation affect your gym performance?
Short answer, yes it can. Slightly longer answer, not so much that you shouldn’t do it. Just don’t masturbate for about 3-4 hours before you head to the gym and you should be fine.
Maybe wait until afterwards. Plus, that way you get to take full advantage of the post-gym horn.
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Is the Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps Sportbrake any good?
In the summer THEGAYUK went to the unveiling of the new XF Sportbrake set in a Wimbledon style setting. Much was to be made of the new Jaguar XF with added room.
Sadly on the day, the cars were all kept locked so I was only able to look at the outside. It’s easy to say “yes it looks ok” when you haven’t got up close and personal. Thankfully two bridges have been crossed because THEGAYUK has enjoyed time with the XF saloon and now the Sportbrake.
Running wise the two cars were identical in having the 2-litre petrol turbo Ingenium engine making 250 horses. Oddly the official performance figures are somewhat chalk and cheese for both cars. The Sportbrake will do the 0-60 dash 0.5 seconds slower but will achieve 3 mph more.
These figures aside, it is the overall package that I was looking briefly at on a Jaguar play day. Now having been able to play with both I can say that I actually prefer the looks of the Sportbrake. There is often a little bit of style lost and extra length added to a saloon when it becomes an estate. However, Jaguar has been clever in keeping the 2 cars on the same platform equating to both being the same length of 4954mm.
As expected, around 70kg of extra weight has been added to a car capable of carrying extra cargo. This being made up of the hefty tailgate and extra metal required to retain rigidity around the opening. A small price to pay and yet for a car with an aluminium construction, it is anything but light with a kerb weight of 2260kg.
Load area with the seats up gains an extra 25 litres too. Increasing to a maximum of 1700 litres with the 40:20:40 split folding rear seats down.
What can become problematic for the estate style body is humming from the wheels reverberating around the cabin because the boot area is left fully exposed to the cabin. As you’d expect in the refinement of the Jaguar, there is no such noise. Being as the car glides effortlessly with little fuss, any noise would be amplified. I’m glad to say it wasn’t.
What is quite disconcerting is the sheer amount of openness you get when inside. Look over your shoulder and it does feel like the cabin goes on for miles. It’s big and yet no more than the saloon.
Here though is the big question. Is there room for another estate on the market when the rise of the SUV doesn’t seem to be stopping? It’s a tricky one to answer. As it is, Jaguar has 2 SUV’s in their range and those 2 are evenly matched by their Range Rover counterparts.
It will have buyers. Not everyone wants an SUV. For one thing, an SUV, no matter whose badge it wears, lacks visual prestige a saloon or in this case, an estate can offer. And with the handling credentials of the saloon being evenly matched to this Sportbrake l can’t see anyone who opts for the XF being remotely upset in having a car that sits lower down. In terms of style, the estate offerings of the XF really do make Jaguars slogan of Grace, Pace and Space come true.
The Lowdown
Car – Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps Sportbrake
Price – (from) £42,435
MPG – 41.5 mpg (combined)
Power – 0-62mph – 6.7 seconds
Top Speed – 150 mph
Co2 – 155 (g/km)
“I wasn’t attracted to Asian men… I was a hot, surfer, California boy type, that he probably could have only gotten had he bought, paid for”
Former model and actor, Scott Brunton has admitted that the groping he alleges George Takei of doing in the early 80s may not have actually happened.
In November 2017 Brunton alleged that after a few drinks at Takei’s home in California, where he fell asleep on a bean bag chair and awoke to find his trousers were around his ankles. He claimed Takei, who was 43 or 44 at the time, was groping him.
This was the first and only allegation of this sort against George Takei.
Takei responded to the allegations via Twitter as “personally painful”. He wrote a statement saying he was “shocked and bewildered at these claims”
Brunton clarifies
Speaking more recently to the Observer, Scott Brunton relived the story he had told The Hollywood Reporter,
Shane Snow reporting for the Observer asks, “I asked him to clarify the issue. ‘Did he touch your genitals?’”
“’You know…probably…’ Brunton replied after some hesitation, “He was clearly on his way to…to…to going somewhere,’”
“So you don’t remember him touching your genitals?” asks Snow.
Brunton confessed he did not remember any touching.
He admitted that it could have been a ‘misunderstanding’, but insists it was an ‘unwanted situation’. He finally told the Observer ‘it might not have happened’.
Brunton then added, “He was 20 years older than me and short. And I wasn’t attracted to Asian men… I was a hot, surfer, California boy type, that he probably could have only gotten had he bought, paid for or found someone just willing to ride on his coattails of fame.”
The episode itself was “not painful, ‘It didn’t scar me,” Brunton said.
Takei’s Response
George took to Twitter to thank fans who “stood by” the actor during the allegations. He wrote,
“As many of you know, this has been a very difficult period for myself and my husband Brad as we have dealt with the impact of these accusations, but we are happy to see that this nightmare is finally drawing to a close.
“As I stated before, I do not remember Mr. Brunton or any of the events he described from forty years ago, but I do understand that this was part of a very important national conversation that we as a society must have, painful as it might be.
“It is in that spirit that I want folks to know, despite what he has put us through, I do not bear Mr. Brunton any ill will, and I wish him peace.
“Brad and I are especially grateful for the many fans who stood by me throughout this ordeal. Your support kept us going, and we are so immensely thankful for you.”
Durham is a city in the Northeast of England, its proximity to Newcastle means that you might need to leave town to go gay.
So what is in Durham for gay travellers and LGBT guests? Gay clubs and bars are thin on the ground in the actual city of Durham, you need to travel to Newcastle which is about 15 miles away from Durham.
Generally speaking Durham is a safe place to be and the police in the area are committed to ending homo/bi and transphobia. There have been numerous reports in recent times of homophobic attacks or abuse. Caution is advised over public displays of affection between same-sex couples.
As a plus, all three of Durham’s Labour MPs Roberta Blackman-Woods, Kevan Jones and Pat Glass (who no longer serves the North West Durham) voted in favour of same-sex marriage back in 2013.
Gay Bars
Are there any gay bars in Durham? The short answer is no. However, there is an LGBT+ night on Monday nights at Osbourne’s Bar.
There is a yearly pride event held in Durham. This year it takes place on the last May bank holiday weekend (Sunday 27th May). You can find out more about the event here.
Are there any gay saunas in Durham?
The nearest gay saunas/bathhouses to Durham are located in Newcastle which is 15 miles further north. There is the Number 52 sauna, Base Newcastle. There was a sauna called H2O but it looks to have closed.
Number 52 and Base offer entry to non-members for £12.
Any LGBT Hotels in Durham?
There aren’t any gay or LGBT+ hotels available in Durham. However, you can check for the best deals from Hotels.com, Booking.com and Travelodge
Meeting gay guys in Durham?
If you’re looking for a connect to gay and bisexual guys in Durham why not join our free social network.
How to get to Durham
By road
Durham is only two miles from the A1(M). Leave the motorway at Junction 62 on the A690 Durham – Sunderland road and follow signs to Durham City Centre.
By rail
There are 60 trains from most major cities in the country calling at Durham each day. There are 14 trains from London, which takes under three hours from Kings Cross.
By air
Durham is 30 minutes’ drive from Newcastle Airport and about 40 minutes from Durham Tees Valley. Both serve domestic and international flights. Durham is linked to Newcastle Airport by rail and metro. To look for flights click here
Gran Canaria has long been a sort of gay mecca in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, off the coast of western Africa.
Over the years a number of gay / bisexual only hotels and resorts have cropped up on the tiny Island, making it one of the most gay-friendly destinations on the planet. Gran Canaria is one of the go-to gay travel destinations.
Most of these resorts are on the southern end of the Island, near Maspalomas and, no doubt; you will have heard of the Yumbo Centre, where most of the Island’s gay bars and drag shows are located.
Maspalomas is easy to get to from the Island’s only airport. You can either hire a car or get a cab to your hotel. Some hotels and resorts even offer an airport shuttle. Of course, Gran Canaria is served by numerous airlines from the UK, and you can get great deals on flights to Gran Canaria from the likes of Ryanair, EasyJet, Jet2.com and Norwegian.
So what about the gay hotels? Are there any and should you stay at one?
Our editor and chief, Jake Hook recently made a case for staying gay when on holiday, but the short answer is yes. You should definitely try it.
There are many gay exclusive resorts on Gran Canaria, most of them located in the Maspalomas or Playa del Ingles area of Gran Canaria.
Roma, 13, Playa del Ingles, Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, 35100, Spain,
A 15 room hotel in Playa Del Ingles, catering to gay men. Clothing is optional at this resort, and it is pet-friendly, although you will be required to pay an additional 19.00 EUR per night. Breakfast is available at a surcharge of 8.00 EUR per person. It does offer free WiFi.
The hotel has a pool and is located close to the beach. THEGAYUK.com has not yet reviewed this location.
Address: C/. Timple 5 – 35100 Playa del Inglés – San Bartolomé de Tirajana Telephone: (+34) 928 765 877 Web: www.bungalowsartemisa.com
This property is located in the Playa del Ingles and is close to the Yumbo centre, the beach is a half a mile walk, while the dunes are a near 2-mile trip. Each one-bed bungalow offers a dining area and a kitchenette. Breakfast is available to purchase. THEGAYUK.com has not yet reviewed this location.
Address: Avda. Tour Operator Vingresor, 6 – 35100 Maspalomas – San Bartolomé de Tirajana Telephone: (+34) 928 772 096 / (+34) 649 019 985 Web: www.beachboysresort.com
A highly rated gay only resort in Maspalomas. The dunes are an 11-minute walk away, and the Yumbo centre is under 30 minutes walk away. The location has just 12 apartments ensuring an intimate feel. There is free WiFi. Clothing is optional. Breakfast is available at a surcharge. Also available are lunch and dinner, if you don’t want to cater for yourself. THEGAYUK.com has not yet reviewed this location.
Address: C/. Egipto 10 – 35100 Playa del Inglés – San Bartolomé de Tirajana Telephone: (+34) 928 764 722 Web: www.birdcage-resort.com
The Birdcage Resort is a four-star property in the Playa del Ingles area of Gran Canaria, which means its close to the Yumbo Centre and a 20-minute walk away from the beaches. There is free WiFi offered, and clothing is optional around the poolside. THEGAYUK.com has not yet reviewed this location.
Address: Avda. Touroperador Kuoni 46 – 35100 Maspalomas – San Bartolomé de Tirajana Telephone: (+34) 928 760 051 Web: www.clubtorso.com
Club Torso is just a short walk to the beach and 10 minutes from the infamous dunes. The property is clothing optional, and each bungalow comes with free WiFi and a kitchenette. Breakfast is served (as an extra), and there is free parking close to the location.THEGAYUK.com has not yet reviewed this location.
Los Almendros
Address: Avda. Francia 3 – 35100 Playa del Inglés – San Bartolomé de Tirajana Telephone: (+34) 928 761 688 Web: www.losalmendros.es
Address: Avda. Touroperador Finnmatkat 6 – 35100 Maspalomas – San Bartolomé de Tirajana Telephone: (+34) 928 161 718
Rainbow Golf is a clothing option, gay men’s resort in Maspalomas. It’s a twenty-minute walk from the famous dunes of Maspalomas beach, and the Yumbo centre is a 28-minute walk. There are 21 self-catering apartments, but food, including breakfast, is available for purchase. The location offers free WiFi, and there is free parking available. The hotel does offer an airport shuttle priced at 35.00 EUR. THEGAYUK.com has not reviewed this hotel yet.
Calle Touroperador Matkatala, 2, Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, 35100, Spain
One of the only 4 star hotels on the Island that caters for gay men. There are free WiFi and parking at the location. There are 24 guest rooms, and it is located near the beach. Again the airport offers an airport shuttle (38 EUR), and there is a free shuttle to the beach. This is an optional clothing location. Breakfast is charged at an extra 10 EUR per day. Read THEGAYUK’s full review of Seven Hotel and Wellness.
Address: Avda. de Tirma 20 – 35100 Playa del Inglés – San Bartolomé de Tirajana Telephone: (+34) 928 773 342 Web: www.tropicallazona.com
This 25 room property offers free WiFi and a fitness centre / work out room. There is also a bar. The Yumbo centre is a short walk away. The accommodation is self-catering and offers a fridge, toaster, kettle and microwave. The location is clothing optional. THEGAYUK.com has not reviewed this hotel yet.
Villas Blancas
Address: Avda. Tour Operator Tjaereborg s/n – 35100 Maspalomas – San Bartolomé de Tirajana Telephone: (+34) 928 770 122 Web: www.villasblancas.com
Address: C/. Carmen Laforet 1 – 35100 Maspalomas – San Bartolomé de Tirajana Telephone: (+34) 928 140 032 Web: www.vistabonita.es
A popular gay-only resort in Sonneland, which is a drive away from the beach (30+ minute walk) and Yumbo centre (40-minute walk). There are 20 self-catering apartments. The hotel offers an airport shuttle as parking is extremely limited. You can reserve parking with a 5 EUR a day charge. Breakfast is available (surcharge). This is an optional clothing hotel, and there is free WiFi. Read THEGAYUK’s full review on Vista Bonita.
However, the decision has been met with criticism, including from Newcastle Pride organisers – who last week announced that they had to scale down aspects of their event due to lack of funding.
“It is great that a big company like Primark wants to lend their support to the LGBT community but I do worry about the impact this will have on the community led organisations like ourselves up and down the country,” said Stephen Willis, festival director of Newcastle Pride.
“Stonewall do an amazing job but they are a national organisation with a large presence, whereas local Prides are more often than not organised by volunteers with a lack of sponsorship and funding.
“Many Prides rely on generating income from selling merchandise but if Primark are selling their own range at discount prices, this will direct much needed funds away from actual Prides, which are struggling as it is.”
As part of the partnership, Primark have announced an array of rainbow branded products – including t-shirts featuring the names of cities the range will be sold in.
“Considering Primark is tailoring the range to the cities they are selling them in, their support may have been better allocated by partnering with local organisations so they could help to sustain future Prides,” said Stephen.
“Although the community has come a long way, LGBT people are still suffering from homophobia and hate crime and that is why hosting Pride parades remains important – to reinforce the message of equality and offer people a space they feel safe and accepted.”
This year’s Newcastle Pride takes place 20 – 22 July, under a big top tent at Nuns Moor Park, with a huge musical line-up, including headlining performances from Alexandra Burke and S Club.
As well as the acts on the main stage, on site will be a range of market stalls, a fun fair, the family and youth zone, the Steve Paske health zone, eight food stalls and five bars.
The event is free to attend, but those wanting to support Newcastle Pride can do so by making a donation, buying merchandise or upgrading to Golden Circle or VIP tickets at www.northern-pride.com.
For more information, visit Northern Pride’s website or search northernprideuk on Facebook or Twitter.
Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.
it seems that even a royal wedding can get people off…
Although traffic for one of the world’s leading porn sites, PornHub, decreased by a whopping 21 percent in the UK, it seemed as though some people had only one thing on their minds during Prince Harry and Megan’s nuptials.
David Beckham.
That’s right, searches for a naked David Beckham boomed by 3440 percent during the royal wedding. However, it was his wife that won this particular Beckham popularity contest, Victoria Beckham searches soared by 4213 percent.
According to PornHub, across the United Kingdom, traffic during the ceremony was down -21% in England, -19% in Wales, -15% in Scotland and -14% in Northern Ireland. Traffic remained below average throughout the rest of the day, with a further drop of -17% in England around 5pm.
They were also surprised to see that France was the country with the biggest traffic drop of -23% during the ceremony. Traffic in Chile was down -20%, -19% in Italy and -18% in New Zealand, The Netherlands and Turkey. Commonwealth countries Australia and Canada were down -17% and -16% respectively.
So there you have it, who knew that weddings could be a wankfest.
There’s a growing section of the LGBT+ community that is calling themselves Queer, but don’t assume that all people in the community want to be called that word.
THEGAYUK.com has polled readers numerous time on whether the term queer is an acceptable term to describe themselves and each time the majority has rejected the term.
In July 2017 we asked over 200 people whether they thought queer as an umbrella term for the LGBT+ community was acceptable and sixty percent did not. Some commented that the word was “triggering” and “deeply offensive”, particularly to men who identified as gay.
The word queer is still used as a slur against many people in the community, particularly gay and bisexual men, and although some may refer to themselves in this way, it’s probably best not to use language that causes offence to others.
THEGAYUK.com will switch off its bar finder and news app from today at 11.59PM. When the app was first launched it was one of the only venue finders for the LGBT+ community – however, Google now makes finding your nearest gay club so easy the need to have a dedicated app is pretty redundant.
THEGAYUK’s editor, Jake Hook said, “When we first started working with our developers back in 2013, it was sold as an app that could also be used as a chat app – despite repeated calls for the developers to reinstate and upgrade that feature, it never materialised. In order for us ensure a good return on the development and administration time spent on getting the app ready, we decided to press ahead and despite over 40,000 people downloading and using the app since 2013, it’s not a good or effective use of our resources.”
THEGAYUK, however, is more widely available than ever before. News is available on the global news app, Apple News and we’re working to bring it to Android. We’ll also be announcing further development of sources for our news throughout 2018.
At the end of last year, THEGAYUK launched its LGBT+ podcast on Apple, TuneIn and Soundcloud. Each episode features a well-known celeb or VIP and they talk to our editor and chief, Jake Hook, about their life and time.
