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Next door to the Stonewall Inn, where a police raid on June 27, 1969, turned into a riot as gays rose up against constant police harassment, the present bar is far more peaceful, a sociable place for a drink or a game of pool.

The profusion of bars, shops, and cruisers between 6th and 7th avenues is the epicenter of gay Greenwich Village. The crowd is a bit older since so many younger gay men have defected to Chelsea.

New York’s oldest gay and lesbian bookshop opened in 1967 before the Gay Rights movement began. It has survived smashed windows and open hatred to provide a center and aid for gays. Current free publications on gay events are available here, as well as videos, music, and gifts.

Named after an 18th-century feminist group, this Lower East Side lair is not only a comprehensive source for women’s literature but a social center with a café, gallery, readings, and events. Women of all ages and races are welcome.

A nucleus of the gay community, headquarters for organizations and event notices, active in public education, health, and emotional counseling, and center for social events, the Center also maintains history archives and an extensive library. An informative welcome pack is available for tourists.

HX and Next are weeklies reviewing the club and entertainment scene. Other publications include Gay New City News , a newspaper covering politics, health, and arts; the New York Blade , a free tabloid; and Metro-Source , a glossy lifestyle magazine. Time Out New York , a general entertainment weekly sold at all newsstands, has a big section on gay and lesbian events from lectures to clubs.

Many clubs have party nights. Sunday nights, for example, are big at Splash, Friday nights at Crobar, Saturday at The Roxy, Sunday at Avalon. The Cock is lively all week. Venues and days change, so consult the press for current happenings.

The world’s largest and oldest lesbian archive, founded in 1973, is located in Park Slope, a popular lesbian neighborhood. The volunteer-run archive houses art, books, photos, periodicals, video, and films recording lesbian lives and holds events supporting lesbian writers and artists in all media.

The muscle boys in Chelsea favor this two-story gym with the latest weights and circuit training equipment and fitness classes. It also offers sauna, massage facilities, and a café serving healthy meals and snacks. The gym actively supports gay causes from AIDs walks to Gay Pride organizations.

A transgender waitstaff and drag shows in the basement make Lucky Cheng New York’s most unusual Chinese restaurant, drawing tour buses as well as gay patrons. Also check out the drag queens lip-synching songs at Lips, performing to a Latin beat at La Nueva Escuelita, and serving and entertaining at Stingy Lulu’s.