Despite the sometimes conservative local politics, San Diego is one of America's gay-friendliest destinations, boasting the country's first openly gay District Attorney in the U.S., Bonnie Dumanis, and one of the oldest gay and lesbian theater companies, Diversionary Theatre. Gay and lesbian visitors might already know about Hillcrest, near Balboa Park, the city's most prominent "out" community. Many gay-owned restaurants, boutiques, and nightspots cater to both a gay and straight clientele, and the scene is lively most nights of the week. In the 1990s the community's residential embrace spread west to Mission Hills, and east along Adams Avenue to Kensington.

The Annual San Diego Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade, Rally, and Festival are held on the third or fourth weekend in July. The parade begins at noon on Saturday at University Avenue and Normal Street, and proceeds west on University to Sixth Avenue, ending in Balboa Park. A festival follows on Saturday. Other events that weekend include the Pride Ball, Circuit Party Daze, and a party at the San Diego Zoo. For more information, call tel. 619/297-7683, or check www.sdpride.org. The San Diego Gay Rodeo is one of the largest rodeos on the IGRA circuit, drawing cowboys and cowgirls from across the country for bronco riding and two-stepping. It's held in late September at the Del Mar Fairgrounds; see www.sandiegorodeo.com for more info.

The free San Diego Gay and Lesbian Times, published every Thursday, is the most information-packed of several local out publications, and available at the gay and lesbian Obelisk bookstore, 1029 University Ave., Hillcrest (tel. 619/297-4171), along with other businesses in Hillcrest and neighboring communities. And check out the San Diego Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce online at www.gsdba.org, where you can search the 700-member business directory and find a variety of restaurants, cafes, hotels, and other establishments that welcome gay and lesbian clients. The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau publishes a pamphlet, San Diego from Gay to Z, with information on gay accommodations and events. For more information, or to order the free pamphlet, go to www.sandiego.org. The CVB also has touring suggestions for gay and lesbian visitors on its cultural website: www.sandiegoartandsol.com.

The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) (tel. 800/448-8550 or 954/776-2626; www.iglta.org) is a national trade association for the gay and lesbian travel industry, and offers an online directory of gay and lesbian-friendly travel businesses; go to their website and click on "Members."

The Lesbian and Gay Men's Community Center is located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest (tel. 619/692-2077; www.thecentersd.org). It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 10pm and Saturday from 9am to 7pm. Community outreach and counseling are offered.

The following travel guides are available at most travel bookstores and gay and lesbian bookstores, or you can order them from Giovanni's Room bookstore, 1145 Pine St., Philadelphia, PA 19107 (tel. 215/923-2960; www.giovannisroom.com): Out and About (tel. 800/929-2268 or 415/644-8044; www.outandabout.com), a newsletter published 10 times a year and filled with information on the global gay and lesbian scene; Spartacus International Gay Guide (Bruno Gmunder Verlag) and Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner (Odysseus Enterprises Ltd.), both good, annual English-language guidebooks focused on gay men; the Damron guides (Damron Company), with separate, annual books for gay men and lesbians; and Gay Travel A to Z: The World of Gay & Lesbian Travel Options at Your Fingertips by Marianne Ferrari (Ferrari Publications; Box 35575, Phoenix, AZ 85069), a very good gay and lesbian guidebook series.