Globetrotting
CARDIFF, WALES
by Dann Fink
As my train traveled from Heathrow to Cardiff, I felt
like I was crossing through countryside painted by Monet.
I’d never been to Wales, so I was raring to explore
every square foot of Cardiff, and hopefully some not-so-square
ones as well, then immerse myself in the Iris Prize Film
Festival at week’s end. A friend who was raised there
said, “Cardiff—where the guys are hot but the
weather’s dreary,” and despite a rainy journey,
I arrived under crystal clear, baby-blue skies. Though
I had just missed the LGBT Mardi Gras on the grounds of
historic Cardiff Castle (www.cardiffcastle.com),
a site described as “the campiest thing in the whole
of Cardiff,” the energy of a great party still lingered
everywhere.
The cobblestone walk to my hotel gave
me an immediate feel for Cardiff’s vibrance, and
I checked in at the new Radisson Blu (Meridian
Gate-Bute Ter. Tel: +029-2045-4777. www.radissonblu.co.uk/hotel-cardiff),
an eye-grabbing hotel, but when I visited, it seemed,
disappointingly, a triumph of style over service, comfort,
or functionality. My guide, Mike, soon appeared, filling
me in on the local customs, and the locals themselves.
Cardiff’s a city that builds to a weekend nightlife
explosion, and since I arrived on a Monday, I got used
to the disclaimer, “Well, not tonight, but, on
weekends….” The most unusual spot was a street
nicknamed “Chippy Lane,” an alley of Indian
fast food shops so overrun with revelers on weekend
nights that they have to close the neighboring boulevard.
Our starting point was the day-glo gay
bar Wow (4 Churchill Way. Tel: +029-2066-6247.
www.wowbarcardiff.com),
where before entering, the bouncer inquired, “Sir,
have you visited our establishment before?” “No.”
“Well, just so’s there’s no surprises
on the other side of that door…” which made
me chuckle and assure him I could handle it. Then we
toured charming Charles and Churchill Streets, the main
loop for the city’s very distinct gay bars—and,
like everything in downtown, all within easy walking
distance of one another.
Our dinner destination (and a favorite
of Mike’s), the Milgi Lounge (213 City Rd.
Tel. +029-2047-3150. www.milgilounge.com),
proved a Pandora’s box of tchotchke museum/music
club. It was a great place to relax and get re-energized.
To top off my night, I headed to the sociable Kings
Cross (25 Caroline St. Tel: 029-2023-6793. www.KXCardiff.co.uk),
where an animated trio quickly introduced themselves
as “Danny, Danny, and Richard, but we call him
Danny.” After they discovered my name, Dann, the
night descended into endless pints of local fave, Brains
Beer, and endless hollers of the Welsh toast for health
and fortune, Lechyd Da!
The construction outside my room the
next morning woke me before my alarm, and soon I was
underway ahead of schedule, umbrella in hand. Cardiff
is one of the UK’s top shopping spots, anchored
by the John Lewis department store (www.johnlewis.com),
rising up like the bow of a great glass ship, the enormous
St. David’s Mall (www.stdavidscardiff.com),
and the myriad antiquated arcades. Though they held
hordes of shoppers, I’m not much of one myself,
so I perused them at record speed.
Hopping on a train you’d expect
to find circling a petting zoo, we arrived at Cardiff
Bay, where I was awed by the massive Millennium Arts
Center (Bute Place, www.wmc.org.uk)
and its stone-carved motto, “Creating truth like
glass, from the furnace of inspiration.” There,
along the trendy boardwalk, I stumbled upon a sci-fi
fan’s fantasy: the mirrored tower that is Torchwood
headquarters, and steps away, the Dr. Who Museum
(www.doctorwhoexhibitions.com),
arguably the second campiest thing in Cardiff
Later, I met with Charlie from Jolyon’s
Bed and Breakfast (Bute Crescent, Tel: 029-2048-8775.
www.jolyons.co.uk).
Described as “the dreamiest hotel manager alive,”
he toured me through the seafarer origins of this ex-sailor’s
lodge and its romantic downstairs bar, Cwtch.
 A
light drizzle began, and I headed for the next bar on
my list. A definite curiosity in Cardiff is the existence
of two gay bars pronounced, “Exit.” Downtown
there’s Exit (48 Charles Street, Tel: 029-2064-0102.
www.exitclubcardiff.com),
but by the Bay look for X:It (8 Mt. Stuart Square, Tel:
+029-2049-0014), a pub normally filled with happy, happy-hour
locals, “just not today...”
The drizzle ended and off we went to
the Welsh sports pub, Y Mochyn Du (Sophia Close, Tel:
029-2037-1599) for Welsh Rarebit (no, it’s not
rabbit), and coincidentally, where the swarthy rugby
teams gather after practice. Ready to explore the nightlife,
we found the night, but not much life. Barkeep Nick
at Icon (60 Charles St. Tel: 029-2066-6505. www.bariconcardiff.co.uk)
said, “everyone’s home on the Internet. Wait
‘til tomorrow,” so we ended at Wow, where
a fireplug of a drag queen barked out a filthy parody
of “A Spoonfull of Sugar,” that has forever
changed that musical chestnut for me.
Good weather continues…locals amazed.
A run through tranquil Bute Park kicked off the day,
then, I zipped across town to check out Sleeperz
(Station Approach Saunders Road. Tel: 029-2047-8747.
www.sleeperz.com),
a savvy, design oriented, compact hotel perfect for
shorter stays. Heavy on service, yet friendly to your
wallet…If only I had known.
That afternoon brought the start of
the Iris Prize Film Festival (www.irisprize.org),
an international showcase for emerging LGBT filmmakers.
Iris (as it’s nicknamed) is looking to become a
focal point of the Cardiff arts community and the international
film world, and the opening gala was a lively, buzzy
gathering indeed.
Continued
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