EXCLUSIVE | Toronto: Where to Play/Meet

June 12 2008 12:00 AM EDT

Drink
Woody's (465-467 Church St; 416-972-0887) is a labyrinthine complex of five bars which appeared in Showtime's Queer As Folk. It attracts the after-work crowd and has nightly events like the "Best Chest Contest."

For games other than cruising, head for Pegasus Billiard Lounge (489B Church St; 416-927-8832), a friendly neighborhood place where pool, darts, satellite trivia, pinball and Molson are on tap.

Chances are good that at some point you'll pass through Crews/Tango/The Zone (508-510 Church St; 416-972-1662) during your stay. The bustling bar hosts drag shows, dancing and karaoke throughout the week. Crews is mostly men, Tango is for the women and The Zone is mixed, except for Wednesday nights, when the baby dykes gather for the Drag King show.

A mixed straight/gay crowd of Ricky Martin fans congregates in Little Italy at El Convento Rico (750 College St. West; 416-588-7800).

The Latin vibe is also dominant at George's Play (504 Church St; 416-963-8251). Wednesday is "Shemale" night. Calling themselves"

Toronto's first pansexual trans club," Goodhandy's (120 Church St; 416-760-6556) is several blocks south of the Village. Thursdays are for T-girls and their admirers, Fridays for queer women, T-boys and friends.

Dance
Follow in the footsteps of the "Queer As Folk" crew at Fly NiteClub (8 Gloucester St; 416-410-5426), the 10,000-square-foot dance emporium that served as the original Babylon for the gay series.

Despite its name, the dual personality of Zipperz-Cellblock (72 Carlton St; 416-921-0066) is piano lounge and dance bar with retro leanings. Tallulah's Cabaret inside Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (see SEE/DO) hosts popular dance parties on Friday and Saturday nights.

Strippers/Leather
Remington's (379 Yonge St; 416-977-2160) is "where all the Americans go first," we were told. This strip club offers cute young guys performing for (mostly) mature men. For C$20 the stripper of your choice will "dance" for you in a private room. Women are allowed in Friday nights, Saturday nights and anytime Sunday.

Leather lovers will find their niche at the Black Eagle (457 Church St; 416-413-1219), while at Alibi (529 Yonge St; 416-964-9869) the leather crowd upstairs mixes with the downstairs dance bar crowd.

Women
Women of all ages meet at Slack's restaurant/bar (see EAT).

A lot of the women's scene takes place away from the Village at special nights around "Queer West."

One of the longest-running is Here Kitty, Kitty, every Sunday at Ciao Edie (487 College St; 416-927-7774; ).

Same night, crawl over to the Bovine Sex Club (542 Queen St. West, 416-504-4239) for Thunderpussy, produced by the Pink Mafia, which does other parties around town.