This New England city attracts both men and women, and the gay scene is very visible. The gay bars are scattered around the city, but the South End  is the predominant gay neighborhood here. For women, it’s Cambridge or Jamaica Plain. However, a stark segregation between the two populations is not evident, as gays and lesbians are everywhere in Boston. You can’t keep Boston’s gay scene down.

South End is Bostons “main” gay neighborhood. You’ll find gay restaurants, shops and bars along Columbus Avenue and Tremont Street. Thanks largely to the gays, South End saw a rebirth in the 1980s. Now the homos live in refurbished Victorian rowhouses. Club Café is a popular video bar here. South End is also home to Roxy, Eagle and neighborhood gay bar Fritz Lounge.

Just outside of Boston, Jamaica Plain is a thriving little neighborhood that attracts a largely lesbian population. Centre Street is the main drag, where gay-friendly restaurants and shops abound. Many lesbians congregate at Diesel Cafe, an open-air, garage-like coffee house that attracts alternative chicks.

Home to Harvard University and MIT, Cambridge is actually its own city - not a neighborhood of Boston. Because it’s home to two of the biggest and most notable universities in the country, it’s loaded with a diverse mix of great restaurants, bars and shops. And really, what attracts gays and lesbians more than that? Hot bars include Paradise and Toast Lounge.