Reviews
Time Out Chicago’s Personal Best 2006
“Artists and activists who reshaped the GLBT world in 2006 right here in the Third Coast”
Kathie Bergquist and Robert McDonald
“A gay guidebook to Chicago: Why didn’t anyone think of it before? This city is teeming with queer people, places and culture, but it took two bookstore clerks to whittle it all down into 283 humorous and insightful pages in A Field Guide to Gay and Lesbian Chicago. By doing so, they’ve added Chicago to the hot list of must-visit global gay destinations.”
—Jason A. Heidemann, Time Out Chicago, December 28, 2006–January 3, 2007
“Straights beware! This is another salvo in the culture wars to turn us all gay. Whether you’re on leave from the marines or in town for the regional meeting of the Republican National Committee, you’ll find astonishingly good advice about restaurants, a sensible guide to shopping and activities, and such compelling descriptions of gay bars and clubs that you’ll want to try them yourself, no kidding.”
—Ira Glass, producer and host, This American Life
“A Field Guide to Gay and Lesbian Chicago is, by far, the very best travel guide I’ve ever read—and I did read it like a novel; it is that well written. Ms. Bergquist and Mr. McDonald use humor, common sense, honesty, and pure gusto to entertain throughout their divine reference book. . . . Amusing and dead on . . . Organized and thoughtful.”
—Rhiannon Kelly Fionn, Reader Views (www.readerviews.com), August 2006
“While New York and San Francisco are widely recognized as great gay destinations, America’s middle-kingdom, Chicago, is too often overlooked. Aiming to put an end to that are Kathie Bergquist and Robert McDonald, authors of the first ever (and long overdue) homocentric introduction to the City of Big Shoulders. A Field Guide to Gay & Lesbian Chicago is possibly the most in-depth single-city GLBT guide ever published. It goes beyond the usual listings to offer substantial mini-essays; the section on bars alone is over 40 pages long, with enough chatty, insightful detail on dozens of watering holes to actually help visitors choose the spots they’re likely to enjoy. . . . Field Guide’s forays into Chicago’s rich GLBT theater and music scenes offer this same impressive depth. There’s also enough in the way of sensible tourist basics here that you won’t need to carry along an additional, mainstream guidebook."
—Jim Gladstone, Passport magazine, June 2007
“Last month’s Gay Games VII did many good things for the local gay community, not the least of which was inspiring Kathie Bergquist and Robert McDonald to write a book about gay Chicago. . . . A guide that’s surely handy for out-of-town visitors to our Windy City—but it’s just as valuable to residents who still haven’t ventured into, say, the gay bar(s) on the South Side or dared to peek at what lies behind the brown door at the Granville Anvil. They’ve done the research, trekking into those bars, restaurants and clubs you’ve wondered about, and they’ve summed them up in witty, colorful entries that get well beyond the basic broad classifications and phone numbers of many travel guides. . . . They vowed to visit every place they wrote about and not just Google a book. As a result, the guide has a clear personality.”
—Thomas Conner, Chicago Sun-Times,
“Guide uncovers Chicago’s gay, lesbian gems,” August 13, 2006
“Laugh out loud funny . . . Bergquist and McDonald are the new Betty and Pansy (and they are greatly missed) . . . you can’t go wrong with a travel guide which is worth reading even if you never intend to go to anywhere listed in the book or even to the city in question . . . A+++++.”
—Handsome guy with the bluest eyes on Manhunt.net
“South Side, North Side and all points between—this field guide is a combo best pal-bible-GPS: comfy, authoritative and precise. With this one, you don’t really need anything else.”
—Achy Obejas, author, Days of Awe, Memory Mambo
“The guide is a fun, dishy read and filled with good info . . .”
—The Denver Post, “Travel extras,” August 13, 2006
“It’s for all gays—and bisexuals . . . and people who don’t want to label themselves. . . . Thumbs up!”
—bTALK podcast, Episode 78, www.btalkworld.com, April 13, 2007
“This is extremely well written and should be in every suitcase of anyone visiting the Windy City . . . this guide will even lead you to where the wind blows best!”
—Ron Hanby, Bookazine, “Bookazine’s Hot Flash!!!,” July 12, 2006
“An entertaining romp through the City of Big Shoulders, Pecs, and Abs!”
—Scott Free, Outmusic 2005 Musician of the Year
“A travel guide with personality a plenty! Refreshing humor, sassy (data)tude, and solid research make this queer guide great for the visitor as well as the seasoned Chicago native. Don’t leave your good time to chance. A Field Guide to Gay and Lesbian Chicago is as necessary for a winning vacation as comfortable walking shoes.”
—Owen Keehnen, author, Starz
“Finally, a gay guidebook with a voice! Two delightful voices, actually. Kathie and Robert are so much fun to hang out with, this book will entertain the armchair traveller as well as the active explorer. And they are both SO gay; I defy anyone to read their defense of the Pride March and not pop a few buttons. For natives who need an update or first-time tourists, the Field Guide is fantastic!”
—Linda Bubon, co-owner, Women and Children First bookstore
“If you want a dull list of places to go, look elsewhere. If you want the real dirt not only on Chicago lesbian and gay locales but also on what embarrassing, exciting, or simply funny things happened to Kathie Bergquist or Robert McDonald and their friends in these places, check out this lively, engaging guide.”
—Karen Lee Osborne, author of Carlyle Simpson and Hawkwings;
co-editor, Reclaiming the Heartland: Lesbian and Gay Voices from the Midwest
“While the content alone makes the book unique (it is perhaps the only guidebook out there with special focus given to the Leather Museum and Archives and lesbian softball at Waveland Park), it’s the writing style that truly makes A Field Guide stand out. The book doesn’t just compile the information into one source, but adds the authors’ personal experiences and observations, which works especially well, considering that both Bergquist and McDonald write professionally.”
—Molly Each, New City, “Gayborhood Guide,” June 22, 2006
“Rest assured this is not your average bone-dry travel guide—Fodor’s doesn’t have a chapter on hooking up. . . . Bergquist and McDonald are to be commended for sharing the details on—and in most cases, personally visiting—every bar and club that caters to a gay or lesbian clientele, including those on the far South Side or West Side that never make it into the city’s gay press. . . . ’gay tourists’ will find all the gay they can handle.”
—Kris Vire, Gaper’s Block, “Detour,” June 26, 2006
“Bergquist and McDonald are terrific travel companions. They are beyond knowledgeable, familiar with everything from Chicago’s gay history to the best bar to wear leather if you are hairy and over 55. They are also extremely entertaining and funny. Above all, Bergquist and McDonald are non-judgmental and know where to find whatever one is ‘into.’
"A Field Guide to Gay & Lesbian Chicago is such a gem and so full of things to see and places to go, it would take one a year to see it all. No stone has been unturned here. With chapters devoted to shopping, clubs, sports, gay history, social services, and support groups, this Field Guide is a must read for anyone thinking of visiting the Windy City. Hopefully, Bergquist and McDonald will write similar books for other gay-friendly cities . . . hint, hint.”
—David Costa, EDGE Boston, July 17, 2006
“It is a true city guide, mentioning transportation and safety information, as well as all of downtown’s major sights. The difference is that (besides the book being geared to the gay community), the authors try to have fun while informing the public. So their comments run from funny to outrageous (the book’s opening line: ’Howdy, homo!’)”
—Virginia Soto, About.com, July 10, 2006
“Dykediva.com is thrilled to welcome this travel guide, a veritable queer cliff notes for our fair city! Can’t afford a vaction this summer? Just grab this book and get on the El—you’ll be amazed at Chicago’s gay bounty!”
—Dykediva.com, July 13, 2006
“ . . . a comprehensive and often-comical look at activities ranging from sports to nightlife to shopping . . .”
—Andrew Davis, Windy City Times,
“Bergquist and McDonald Have a ‘Field’ Day,” July 5, 2006
“ . . . Kathie and Robert have done an amazing job with this comprehensive guide to the city’s GLBT landscape that serves as a great tool for both out-of-town travelers and locals who need to look something up fast—or just break out of their bubble a little.”
—Dave Awl, performance poet, The Partly Dave Show, August 3, 2006
Also in Print
Chicago Sun-Times, Travel section, “Gay Chicago a sight to see,” April 9, 2006
Windy City Times,“Authors Write Book in Time for Gay Games,” March 15, 2006
Daily Southtown, “An Alternative Chicago guidebook: New field guide arrives just in time for the Gay
Games,” July 14, 2006
Curve magazine, “The Windy City Beckons,” July/August 2006
Chicago Free Press, July 2006
Between the Lines, “Gay Games: More than club-hopping in Windy City,” July 13, 2006
As Seen Online
CenterstageChicago.com, “Beyond Boystown,” Kate Rockwood, September 18, 2006
ChicagoPride.com, “Field Guide: 5 Great Gay Chicago Destinations,” by co-author Robert McDonald,
July 8, 2006
About.com, “Top 10 Things to Do in Gay Chicago,” by co-author Robert McDonald, June 2006
Chicagoist.com, “Chicago: Thriving Gay Capital,” March 24, 2006
247Gay.com, “First Ever Chicago Gay City Guide Tells Gays and Lesbians Where to Go,” April 5, 2006
Gadling.com, “Chicago Gay Games 2006 & Culture,” April 4, 2006
Books to Watch Out For, “The Lesbian Edition,” May 22, 2006
Echelon Intel Newsletter, May 31, 2006
Representative Interviews
WGN–720, The Nick Digilio Show, Chicago, IL, June 23, 2007
KPFT–90.1, Queer Voices, Houston, TX, May 8, 2006
WBEZ–91.5, Eight Forty-Eight, Chicago, IL, June 23, 2006
KFAI–90.3, Fresh Fruit, Minneapolis, MN, February 15, 2007
WLUW–88.7, Think Pink, Chicago, IL, May 22, 2007
Feast of Fools podcast, www.feastoffools.net, April 4, 2007
Windy City Queercast, www.windycityqueercast.com, August 9, 2006
Bear Podcast, episode 120, www.bearpodcast.com, April 17, 2007
For press kits and review copies of all Lake Claremont Press titles,
and for information on media interviews, bookstore/library programs, and other events,
contact Elizabeth Sattelberger at 312/226-8400 or elizabeth@lakeclaremont.com.