The night after we DJed Good Times together, Linish and I hopped a Thursday evening red-eye to Londage, where Lina not only gave flight attendant realness but also exchanged phone numbers with our flight attendant and invited him to our gig in London the night that we arrived.
Obligatory tourism phone booth shot, mostly because Lina hadn't been to London in years and because last time she was here, people actually used phone booths.
A few hours after we landed, we headed up to Vogue Fabrics for our DJ gig, where Lina and Leon fell in love with each other and Lina dubbed Leon "London Education" because he was giving Mike Ackil effect.
We also had the chance to DJ with Dave Kendricks, who is not only super handsome and super sweet but quite an incredible DJ who used to be a resident back at the Hacienda. GAG.
The lovely Vogue Fabrics barmaids, who didn't hesitate to yell CHOOOOOOON! every time we threw on a classic.
Our flight attendant! Lina's witchy magic can work wonders, even when traveling 30,000 feet in the air transatlantic.
Dan (right) and Yaniv, who wore the most appropriate thing he could possibly wear: a Lina tshirt.
We advertised our party as the Miss Fire Island party in London and Orlando came dressed in his best beach get-up.
Lina and a lovely lady named Suzana. The two of them really hit it off (to say the least).
Suzana, makin' it clap.
Yes, she schlepped that entire case of CDs with her but it was well worth it.
The owner and brainchild of both Vogue Fabrics and the Sparbish-Linish London invasion of 2012, the oh so lovely Lyle.
You know its a good party when Lina climbs onto the DJ console and bar and doesn't remember any of it the following day.
British dancefloor shows.
British bearded shows part one.
British bearded shows part two.
So many London love connections and we hadn't even been in town for more than 12 hours.
Just another ordinary evening at Vogue Fabrics.
Lina had the good fortune to stay with her buddy Dan (center), who she met on Fire Island last summer and played tour guide this time around for Lina and even convinced her to take...PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
Yet another love connection!
Pretty young things.
Instagram celebrity Oscar (right) and a random tranny that I don't think he knows but wasn't too shy to pose for a picture with.
It isn't truly a proper London throwdown until Jacqui Potato rolls around on the bar. THANK YOU VOGUE FABRICS! We can't wait to come back and do it again.
The following night, I DJed this cool mixed gay and lesbian party called Dick & Fanny that now happens at a club space on Old Street.
My London sister Alex, who throws Dick and Fanny and was mega-swamped with the Fringe LGBT film festival that weekend since he is one of the principle organizers.
One of the co-DJs for Dick & Fanny was none other than New York's Lauren Flax, who is pretty awesome and needs to come and DJ Good Times one of these Wednesdays soon when she's not busy touring the world with her music project, CREEP.
Sunday, Lina's birthday celebrations continued with a big brunch at the Cambria down near Brixton, where we caught up with Ashlee (left), Harriet (right) and I had the enchanting opportunity to meet Victoria James Wilson (second from left).
Victoria and Lina both hail from the same planet, wherever that planet may be, and have the same energy, same beliefs and same seated dance moves.
Champagne for breakfast, at Orlando's insistence.
The Cambria is a hidden gem of a pub with lots of trans employees and an afternoon cabaret show, which is why we attended in the first place.
The Sunday afternoon cabaret show is helmed by an old, dear friend of Lina's named Miss Kimberly, who sings live and changes outfits and has even been referred to as the London Lina
Miss Kimberly's pregnant nun look.
Miss Kimberly's Wonder Woman on rollers skates look (and my favorite look of the afternoon).
Singing Sweet Transvestite to an audience of English folk and tourists.
Miss Kimberly apparently has guest performers each week. Ours was this lady in the playboy bunny outfit who was quite entertaining.
At the end of the performance, Miss Kimberly invited Victoria and Lina up to the stage and had everyone sing happy birthday to Linish.
Though you can't really tell in this photo, Lina and Miss Kimberly even have strikingly similar profiles.
DEBZ! Me and Debz sat next to one another and got super friendly and drunk and chatted about DJing and promoting and her London roots in Islington.
Later, we headed back to Orlando's flat in Notting Hill for, ummm, more champagne and kiki time.
It's real and its like, 25 inches or something.
Harriet actually lives in Athens but was back in London for a few weeks visiting family and reciting poetry for me and the Linish in the taxi and back at Orlando's apartment.
The cuteness that is Orlando's pooch.
During the week, Lina lured me into a few shopping extravaganzas in Oxford Circus, including Topshop (seen here) but not including SELFRIDGES, which Lina has never been to but is already planning on spending a week there in November.
A family that shops together sticks together.
The upstairs suit display at Topman, which I quite enjoyed.
Lana Del Rey-inspired 13-year-old Topshop modelling campaign?
Ahhh, Londage. We had such lovely weather which was a first in my many visits to New York's sister city.
Proof that Lina has in fact rode public transportation in her lifetime.
An AIDS awareness bathroom display at the George and Dragon I believe.
That very postmodern moment when a sign from the Cock in New York City is photographed, printed and posted in a bathroom at a gay bar in London.
We may or may not have had a late night look at the McDonald's in Islington, which has knock-off designer chairs and lots and lots of late night litter.
That time that I introduced Lina and Severino.
That time that I introduced Lina and Luis.
After a failed attempt at flying to Berlin on Tuesday (fuck you RyanAir!), Lina and I spent two more nights in London Town. On our final night (Wednesday), I took Lina to the George & Dragon, where Jacqui Potato and Jon Benet were the choice DJs/performers.
Our hunky London friends.
Lina became besties with these two and may even be hosting them at her hut on Fire Island this summer, which should be a kiki.
My two favorite witches in the whole wide world (besides Stevie Nicks. But maybe she's number 3).
Spanish beardiness is one of the best things London has to offer. Go figure.
I would have started a Jacqui Potato fanclub on facebook but somebody already beat me to the punch.
By the end of their set, everybody in the entire bar was up and dancing and singing and cheering and it was then and there that Lina decided that its time for us to move to London.
Sexy back.
He wasn't snoring. I swear.
See! Everyone was up and dancing to like, the theme song from Titanic or something. London, you never cease to impress me.
On Thursday, we said farewell (again) to London but not before a fireman photo opp. Lina was ready to jump in the firetruck with them but they actually had a fire to put out and turned the siren on and sped away.
Our farewell food photo shoot in London. Lina didn't want to fly to Berlin for two days so she headed back to New York City.
I, on the other hand, booked a last minute ticket with EasyJet (fuck you again, RyanAir!) and headed off to Berlin for a long weekend.
Condom machines at the airport, just in case you plan on joining the mile high club on your upcoming flight.
In Berlin, I stayed with my buddy Roman, who lives on Alexanderplatz and actually faces the Alexanderplatz tower, which is a rather spectacular view morning, noon and night.
Thursday night, Roman and I headed to perennial beardy hang out, Mobel Olfe, where I met up American transplant Kyle and we investigated East German canned bar snacks.
Superstar DJ Giovanni (right), leaning up against the freshly planted grass that grows up against a vertical wall in the front of Mobel Olfe.
The strange East German elevators in Roman's building, which only stops on floors 1, 2, 5 and 8 for German, energy-conserving "efficiency purposes," according to Roman.
ROMAN! In addition to being a great host, Roman got all geared up Friday night and took me to Lab.Oratory for my first Lab experience. (No cameras allowed inside. Sorry! But there's lots of slings and people making use of said slings.)
Roman's friend Eric also joined us at Lab and showed me the sights and sounds of Schoenberg, Berlin's rainbow-flaggy gayborhood.
No caption necessary.
Much like my previous trips to Berlin, I was forced to dine on the German delicacy of white asparagus and hollandaise sauce.
Over the weekend, another American buddy of mine, Spencer, who moved from New York to Berlin to be and artist and party around the clock, showed me around his corner of Kreuzberg.
Roman (seen here peeing behind a billboard. No shame!) and I checked out a monthly party called Homopatik on Saturday afternoon. It actually started Friday at 10pm but we went at 2pm on Saturday.
As you can see, 16 hours after the party began, things were still in full swing.
Roman (right) and Spencer, proving that plaid pleases gays in all cities around the world.
The youth of Deutschland.
Lots of the people had been partying since the night before, including this hunky shirtless guy who was only semi-coherent for most of the afternoon (I stayed till 9pm!).
A cute little Italian named Emiliano in an even cuter Vacation In Michigan teddy bear shirt.
Requisite coffee and catchup with Eastern Bloc fixture Dirk (left. He dates bartender Darren) and his buddy Leo.
My new Grindr handle.
And finally, on my final night in Berlin, Eric and I headed to another perennial fave, GMF because 1) I hadn't been there in forever and I love looking out the windows at Weekend, the club where its housed...
2) It was Gloria Viagra's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GLORIA!
and 3) New York City's Sherry Vine was in town! (also for Gloria's birthday).
Eric, getting frisky with another drag queen who I'm pretty sure I saw perform in Mykonos last summer but much like this photo, that evening is a bit of a blur.
Me and Christos, who also works on Mykonos all summer, which is kind of like the Fire Island of Greece / Europe but not at all.
And then we got really drunk.
And Eric harassed Sherry.
And then I flew back to New York...TILL JULY, when I'm back in Berlin for two more weeks. Whoohoo! xoxoxo
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