A & E

The City that Never Sleeps has plenty of time for nightlife, and its gay scene is one of the most prominent in the United States. After all, the Stonewall Inn — a Greenwich Village tavern that was the epicenter of the 1969 Stonewall riots — recently became the country’s first LGBT national monument. Whether your idea of an amazing night out includes Broadway-worthy singalongs or crowded ragers, there are a number of excellent gay bars and clubs in New York City to check out. Get to know the local LGBT community at one of these eight spots — and don’t forget your dancing cowboy shoes.

It’s hard to walk a block in D.C. without passing a historic landmark; much of the country’s history was made here, after all. But out of the hundreds of places in the District that are included on the National Register of Historic Places, only two are recognized because of their connection to the city’s extensive gay and lesbian history. That could soon change. This summer, D.C. received a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Interior to identify the city’s LGBTQ landmarks.