Okay, so you didn't come to America's most exciting city to watch television. But there are still those down times -- especially when the wifi is acting wonky -- when you'd like to watch some good old-fashioned gay TV.
Where you turn at such times will depend on your local cable or satellite provider. Time Warner Cable provides the lion's share of television to Manhattan households, and fortunately it also has several LGBT offerings the others don't -- including, as of September 2010, two new all male porn channels.
Here's a breakdown of Manhattan's gay TV options, including info on where to find them in the lineup.
This MTV-owned (and New York-based) channel has become America's must-watch gay television, especially thanks to hit shows like RuPaul's Drag Race and The A-List.
Time Warner channel 155
RCN channel 130
Verizon FIOS channel 187
DirecTV channel 272 (On Demand 1272)
Dish channel 373 (Logo HD)
This gay-for-pay channel shows original series like Dante's Cove and The Lair, as well as popular LGBT movies.
Time Warner channel 336
Verizon FIOS channel 445
Not officially a gay network, but come on... with shows like The Real Housewives, Tabatha's Salon Takeover, and The Fashion Show, everyone knows the score.
Time Warner channel 18, HD 718
RCN channel 106, HD 621
Verizon FIOS channel 185, HD 685
DirecTV channel 237
Dish channel 129
Hosted by Ann Northrop and Andy Humm, this weekly New York City-based show presents a lively hour of LGBT news and analysis.
Thursday, 11 p.m. to midnight, MNN 1 (Manhattan Neighborhood Network)
Time Warner channel 34
RCN channel 82
Once viewable more widely and frequently, this Robin Byrd-produced just-shy-of-hardcore classic -- which consists almost entirely of stripping '90s gay porn stars, interspersed with graphic ads for transgender phone sex lines -- is now on only once a week, and only in Time Warner's northern division (above 79th Street on the west side, and above 86th Street on the east). But if you can see it, it's worth it for the sheer cheese factor alone.
Time Warner (northern only) channel 35, Wednesday/Thursday, 1-1:30 a.m.
Gay On Demand
This new Time Warner porn channel offers up such cinematic masterpieces as Brothas Luv Twinks and Deutsch Man Munch. Per-title prices are generally $3.98 for an hour and $9.98 for six hours.
Time Warner channel 338
Manhandle On Demand
Time Warner's other new gay porn channel charges monthly at $12.95, and screens heady titles like Ripped Greek Gods and Huge Gay Hammers.
Time Warner channel 337