The Drink Union StreetĨ-14 Union St., 8-9031-6060*, All chrome and exposed brick, this trilevel 19th-century shoe factory primes flippant fops and loafers alike with pre-club cocktails and gastropub grub. Base yourself in the arty Cathedral Quarter and genuflect at the district's straight-friendly eateries, pubs, and dance dens before venturing out to explore the rest of this freshly polished Victorian gem. Patrick's Day carnival and parade doesn't motivate you to hop on a direct flight from Newark, N.J., or Orlando, Fla., to Belfast, maybe the thought of watching dolled-up brindy (redheaded) boys strut the catwalk during Fashionweek will get your Irish blood rising. Twenty-first-century Belfast is a glittering boomtown on par with Europe's chicest second-tier culture capitals, flaunting new boutique hotels, smart condo/retail conversions of decaying 19th-century warehouses, innovative galleries, and a growing number of gay venues. Indeed, jokes about its being the berthplace of the "unsinkable" Titanic aside, Belfast is in positively buoyant spirits now that the Troubles (Northern Ireland's violent, decades-long struggle between largely Protestant pro-British unionists and largely Catholic republicans) have receded into history. Ten years ago, gay bars had trouble getting licensed," explained one of Belfast's Black Taxi drivers, doubling, as many of the city's cabbies do, as a peppy tour guide, "but not any more - the city has been reborn!"
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