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Guy watch
Seven spots for guys to meet guys in the city
BY KURT MALEC

Finding the guy in Boston may be hard, but finding a guy certainly isn't. Like all gay men, I am drawn to the thumping beats of club music, the wailing of dance divas, and the taste of a stiff (ahem) drink. Over the past five years in Boston, the Lansdowne Street clubs have never let me down. Thursday nights at Embassy (36 Lansdowne Street, 617.536.2100, www.embassymodern.com) continue this tradition and offer a new breed of music - gay hip-hop. Thumping bass beats and Janet Jackson give us a night definitely more gay than thug. And when the crème de la crème of drag queens show up in their sequined best, you know the night is gonna be good. Sister Clubs Avalon (15 Lansdowne Street, 617.262.2437, www.avalonboston.com) and Axis (13 Lansdowne Street, 617.262.2437) both offer gay nights on Sunday and Monday, respectively (note: it is a gay sin to miss Axis's drag show).

While the club scene is a great place for hard bodies and eye candy, I don't always want first dates to take place later that same night in a bathroom stall. Therefore, I find it best to look beyond the clubs for guys known as "boyfriend" material. The Museum of Fine Arts and the Boston Public Library courtyard are great places to find the intellectual type. If you don't feel like putting on an air of intellectualism to approach those studying studs, I recommend bookstores like Trident Book Sellers (338 Newbury Street, 617.267.8688, www.tridentbookscafe.com). You'll find scenesters, hipsters, and homosexuals reading, drinking, and lounging in the café. And let's face it, it is a lot easier to make small talk with someone who is reading Paris Hilton's latest than someone contemplating a Renoir.

But what if you don't want a shirtless circuit boy or a bookworm? The answer lies at the mecca of the Boston gay scene. The Club Café (209 Columbus Avenue, 617.536.0966, www.clubcafe.com) sits on the edge of Back Bay and the South End, acting as a sort of portal into the gay community. With dancing in back, dining up front, and lounging boys in the bar, you have your pick of any type of guy you could imagine - and they're all gay!