Brian Silverman, author of various guides to exploring the Big Apple, said that LGBT culture is equally important to the city’s identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings and Broadway theatre. It actually has one of the largest LGBT communities in the world. In short, you needn’t worry about packing a rainbow flag or a sign that says you’re here and queer. They’re used to it!

Your Manhattan break would not be complete without a trip to Cubby Hole, one of NYC’s lesbian bars. Reviews on Trip Advisor describe the atmosphere as intoxicating, not to mention the booze, tunes, crowd and service.

Albeit quite small, it’s the kind of bar that’ll catch your eye as you walk past with a multi-coloured sign and décor that reminds us of our nans Christmas tree in the mid 90’s.

Cubby Hole is the place to be if you’re into cheap cocktails, dominatrix drag queens, dance parties and making bad decisions along with great memories. If that wasn’t enough, they also surprise customers with free pizza (yes please!).

Adonis Lounge started hosting monthly pop-up events in 2010. The club has grown in popularity since then and now host parties twice a week with regular appearances from porn stars, escorts and other special guests from the adult industry.

To enjoy a night at Adonis Lounge, the only thing you need to be into is hunky men. They provide the rest (and by the rest, we mean lap dances and other performances from hot Latinos, Russians, Brown Sugar and Muscle Bears). Other gay nightclubs to visit in NYC include Club Cumming for cabaret nights and The Monster which has been serving eye candy to the LGBT community since the 70’s!

Typically, many of the restaurants and cafes are quite laid back with a very chilled vibe, and they also double as the bars you'll drink in until the clubs open. With an excellent array of traditional Portuguese cuisine and Tapas, Rendevouz - more than wine is a fine place to grab a bite to eat. If you like a cheeky Brazillian - meal that is - then why not try Tribo Tapiocaria Tapas B

There’s no shortage of LGBT-friendly restaurants in NYC. Elmo, Cowgirl, Beso, Roberta’s, Bar Pitti, and Rai Rai Ken serve an array of colourful cuisines to a heavily gay customer base.

If you’re more of a bar kind of bear and want to pair your guac with a mimosa and some entertainment, a lot of the gay bars serve food too!

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NYC is surrounded by an abundance of beaches, another reason why it’s arguably one of the most amazing places in the world. Most beaches are reachable by subway or taxi depending on where you are, or you can catch the ferry to Coney Island and combine your beach day with some amusement park shenanigans.

Now... Let’s get nuddy. There’s no polite way to say this, so we’re just going to say it. If you enjoy seeing and revealing some back, sack and crack on your travels (no judgement here!), then the beaches you’re looking for are: Gunnison Beach (Sandy Hook), Fire Island (Long Island), Rockaway Beach (Queens) and Empire Haven (Moravia). They may be laughing now, but they won’t be laughing when you return home sans tan lines.