Geordie Treats

POWERHOUSE A rambling space of bars, dance floors, and chill-out booths, Powerhouse is the city's only exclusively gay venue for men and women alike. Friday night's Skool Disco -- think pop and gay anthems galore -- is for school uniforms and says much about saucy British schoolboy humor. Lots of fun. ClubPH.co.uk

BARON & BARONESS This highly popular mixed hetero-homo pub gets an increasingly gay clientele as the evening progresses. The gothic, chandelier-lit decor features gargoyles galore, and wooden thrones flank open fires. Quaff a beer and chat with friendly Geordies; low-level music is no bar to conversation. 3-4 Times Square

GREAT NORTH MUSEUM Just opened in May, this outstanding space offers eclectic natural history and archaeology displays, from ancient mummies to live animals (busy leaf-cutting ants are curiously mesmerizing). Don't miss the interactive re-creation of Hadrian's Wall and artifacts highlighting Roman life in England. TWMuseums.org.uk

MALMAISON HOTEL Decorated in dramatic colors (think bold stripes and lashings of velvet), this trendy, gay-friendly quayside hotel overlooking the Millennium Bridge has large rooms with power showers and mood lighting. Plan a stay here or just pop by for dinner or a drink. You can listen to in-house DJs spin their cool charms in the supersexy bar or sink into leather in the crimson and purple brasserie and dine on classy French nibbles. Malmaison-Newcastle.com