Switzerland "Gay Ski Week", Seattle Gay News is there

Ahhh....Switzerland. The land of decadent cheese and chocolate, trendy watches, muesli and ski resort disco parties.

Yes, happening now way up in the Swiss mountains - in the resort town of Arosa, to be exact - is "Arosa Gay Ski Week". A week-long, fun-packed event that gathers fabulous skiers throughout Europe, North America and other parts of the world.

Seattle Gay News writer Jerry L. Peerson is in Arosa now, taking in the 'scenery' and experiencing the snowy slopes of this treasured winter, and summer, resort area. He'll summarize "Arosa Gay Ski Week" in the January 20 issue of the SGN, and will share his overall thoughts on traveling to Switzerland, including stops in Zurich and Lucerne, in our Spring Travel issue (late March tentative date).

For more on this event, visit http://www.arosa-gayskiweek.com/en/.

Pictured: Arosa, Switzerland (as captured by SGN writer Jerry L. Peerson)

Seattle Gay News announces "Best of Travel 2011"

Going somewhere? Maybe we can help with a recommendation or two.

Seattle Gay News travel writers made numerous trips last year, from South Asia to the Caribbean to the bayou capital of New Orleans. From the many places we visited, and the hotels, restaurants and bars we experienced along the way, here's our picks for the "Best of Travel 2011". (Pictured: Barcelo Bavaro Hotel Deluxe).

BEST HOTELS

1 Andaz San Diego - San Diego, California USA
2 Aria Resort & Casino - Las Vegas, Nevada USA
3 Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
4 Bourbon Orleans Hotel - New Orleans, Louisiana USA
5 Fairmont Chateau Laurier - Ottawa, ON Canada
6 Hyatt at Olive 8 - Seattle, Washington USA
7 Scarborough Fair B&B - Baltimore, Maryland USA
8 The Kahala Hotel & Resort - Honolulu, Hawaii USA
9 The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas - Lahaina, Hawaii USA
10 The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa - Scottsdale, Arizona USA

BEST VISITOR ATTRACTIONS/ACTIVITIES

1 Altos de Chavon - La Romana, Dominican Republic
2 American Visionary Art Museum - Baltimore, Maryland USA
3 Ayutthaya Historical Park - Ayutthaya, Thailand
4 Dolphin Quest, at The Kahala Hotel & Resort - Honolulu, Hawaii USA
5 Canadian War Museum - Ottawa, ON Canada
6 Cemetery Voodoo Tour - New Orleans, Louisiana USA
7 Chiang-Dao Elephant Training Center - Chiang Mai, Thailand
8 Granville Island - Vancouver BC, Canada
9 Honolulu Academy of the Arts/The Contemporary Museum - Honolulu, Hawaii USA
10 Living with Hurricanes: Katrina & Beyond exhibit, at the Louisiana State Museum - New Orleans, Louisiana USA
11 Musical Instrument Museum - Phoenix, Arizona USA
12 National Gallery of Canada - Ottawa, ON Canada
13 Old Town Trolley Tours - San Diego, California USA
14 Sunset Horseback Trail Ride, at The Stables (Turtle Bay Resort) - Kahuku, Hawaii USA
15 Taipei 101 Observatory - Taipei, Taiwan
16 USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum - San Diego, California USA
17 The Original Haunted Walk of Ottawa - Ottawa, ON Canada
18 Vancouver Sea Plane Tour - Vancouver, BC Canada
19 Viva Elvis, at Aria Resort & Spa - Las Vegas, Nevada USA
20 Wailele Polynesian Luau, at The Westin Maui Resort & Spa - Lahaina, Hawaii USA

BEST RESTAURANTS

1 808 Grinds (food cart) - Portland, Oregon USA
2 AK's Cafe - Wailuku, Hawaii USA
3 Antoines Restaurant - New Orleans, Louisiana USA
4 Celestial Natural Foods - Haleiwa, Hawaii USA
5 The Court of Two Sisters - New Orleans, Louisiana USA
6 Courtyard Restaurant - Ottawa, ON Canada
7 Din Tai Fung (Zhongxiao Branch) - Taipei, Taiwan
8 Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, Oregon USA
9 Hofbrauhaus - Las Vegas, Nevada USA
10 Judas Goat Taberna - Vancouver BC, Canada
11 Julian Serrano, at Aria Resort & Casino - Las Vegas, Nevada USA
12 Moxie's Classic Grill (on Davie) - Vancouver, BC Canada
13 The Original, A Dinerant - Portland, Oregon USA
14 Quarter Kitchen, at Andaz San Diego - San Diego, California USA
15 Ruem Mai Horm - Chiang Mai, Thailand
16 St. Francis - Phoenix, Arizona USA
17 SWB - Scottsdale, Arizona USA
18 Thompson Bar and Restaurant (at Jim Thompson House) - Bangkok, Thailand
19 The Whole Earth Restaurant - Chiang Mai, Thailand
20 ZenKitchen - Ottawa, ON Canada

BEST BARS/LOUNGES

1 Celebrities Nightclub - Vancouver, BC Canada
2 City Cafe - Baltimore, Maryland USA
3 Delta Sky Club (at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) - SeaTac, Washington USA
4 The Driftwood Room - Portland, Oregon USA
5 Ivy Wine Bar, at Andaz San Diego - San Diego, California USA
6 Mr. Rain's Fun House - Baltimore, Maryland USA
7 Oasis Ultra Lounge - Vancouver, BC Canada
8 Paniolo Lounge (at Travaasa Hana) - Hana, Hawaii USA
9 Paymon's Hookah Lounge - Las Vegas, Nevada USA
10 Piranha Nightclub / 8 1/2 Ultra Lounge - Las Vegas, Nevada USA
11 Silverado - Portland, Oregon USA
12 Telephone Pub, Restaurant & Karaoke - Bangkok, Thailand
13 Urbane - Seattle, Washington USA
14 The Veranda (at The Kahala Hotel & Resort) - Honolulu, Hawaii USA
15 ZuZu Lounge - Scottsdale, Arizona USA

"Rolling in the Deep", El Camino named Best Single, Album of 2011 by Seattle Gay News

Seattle Gay News, the third longest-running gay weekly in the country that features original music content 52 weeks a year, chose Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" as the Best Single and The Black Keys' El Camino as Best Album, as part of its "Best of Music 2011" spread on December 16.

The "Best of Music 2011" special issue also included an exclusive interview with Young The Giant and picks for the year's best live performances, hottest artists and worst music. You can access this edition by going to http://www.sgn.org/ and clicking on the "December 16" archive.

The top ten lists for Singles and Albums, in order, appear below.

BEST SINGLES OF 2011

1 Rolling in the Deep - Adele

2 Holocene - Bon Iver

3 We Found Love - Rihanna (featuring Calvin Harris)

4 Ghost on the Canvas - Glen Campbell

5 Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

6 You and I - Lady GaGa

7 Mona Lisa - Atlas Sound (featuring Andrew VanWyngarden)

8 Audio, Video, Disco - Justice

9 Make Some Noise - Beastie Boys

10 How Deep is Your Love? - The Rapture

BEST ALBUMS OF 2011

1 El Camino - The Black Keys

2 Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes

3 21 - Adele

4 The Whole Love - Wilco

5 Hell on Heels - Pistol Annies

6 Bon Iver - Bon Iver

7 The Light is On - Jill Scott

8 Chief - Eric Church

9 Ceremonials - Florence + the Machine

10 Tomboy - Panda Bear

Enter to win "The Descendants" free tickets at Purr

Dreaming of Hawaii? Dreaming of George Clooney?

Both of them star in the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild-nominated film "The Descendants", now showing in theaters.

Seattle Gay News is giving away a limited amount of free passes to any showing (Seattle area only) of the movie, during its theatrical run. All you have to do is enter in-person at Purr Cocktail Lounge (1518 11th Avenue) and look for "The Descendants" box at the front counter. Just put your business card in the box and you're entered. Contest runs through December 18.

Winners will also receive a Hawaiian bracelet in addition to the pass. If the film, featuring a soundtrack of authentic Hawaiian music by Hawaiian artists, should inspire you to make a dash to the islands, visit http://www.gohawaii.com/ to start planning your trip.

"Best of Music 2011" with Young The Giant

It's that time of the year.

Seattle Gay News will reveal its picks for the "Best of Music 2011" in our new issue, out in print today and going online over the weekend. Our choices for the year's best albums, singles, live performances and hottest artists are included in this special feature.

Our "Best of Music 2011" spread also includes an exclusive interview with Young The Giant, a Southern California rock band who performed on the MTV VMAs telecast in September and will embark on a headlining tour in the winter/spring of 2012 with some dates already sold out. The group's drummer Francois Comtois tells us where he'll be for New Year's Eve, what he wants for Christmas, how he sizes up the past twelve months, and his personal thoughts on gay marriage.

Watch the video for Young The Giant's single "Cough Syrup" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAsTlnjvetI&ob=av2

Join us in celebrating the year that was in music, by picking up a copy or reading it online this weekend at http://www.sgn.org/.

Tori Amos interviews with Seattle Gay News

Inspiring. Sweet. Real.

These are three words we'd use to describe Tori Amos. The eclectic music diva recently spoke to Seattle Gay News, her second time going one-on-one with us, and she had strong, meaningful words to say about gay marriage, bullying, national politics, and her long connection with gay male fans.

Our interview with Amos prints in the December 9 issue, available tomorrow in print throughout metro Seattle and online at http://www.sgn.org/ this weekend. Amos performs live at the Moore Theatre on Wednesday, December 14.

Photo courtesy of Deutsche-Grammophone.

Death Cab for Cutie interviews with Seattle Gay News

We had them, twice. And by "had" we mean interviewed.

Death Cab for Cutie, the multiple Grammy-nominated Seattle band, has interviewed with Seattle Gay News for a second time. Six years ago, Nick Harmer (bassist) and Chris Walla (guitarist) exclusively spoke with us for our "Best of Music 2005" spread.

This time around, we snagged drummer Jason McGerr for a one-on-one.

Residing now in his original hometown, in nearby Bellingham, McGerr discussed several items with Seattle Gay News, including DCFC's newest album, Codes and Keys, the band's current tour, Hall and Oates, Tegan and Sara, and gay marriage.

Look for McGerr's interview in tomorrow's print edition of the Seattle Gay News (October 21 issue), which goes online the next day at www.sgn.org. Death Cab for Cutie performs Saturday, October 22 in front of a hometown crowd at Key Arena.