Next we'll learn there are no black people in Detroit

I'll always remember the disillusionment I felt when I first learned Windy City Chicago was of average breeziness, and actually less windy than other major metropolitan areas such as Boston and Dallas. This started me on a journey of doubt that, inevitably, ended with the realization the charm of Baltimore -- the so-called Charm City -- was strictly in the eyes of a beholder with very low expectations.

I was reminded of these eye-opening experiences with the fickleness of city reputations --monikered or otherwise -- when I come across the latest statistical breakdown of America's gay population.

Don't worry, San Fransisco is an easy number one, but the big surprise was New York City did not crack the top ten cities for percentage of gay population. That despite NYC having the nation's leading theater district, a large fashion industry, the neighborhoods of Chelsea and Greenwich Village and a history of relative hospitality towards gay people.

Granted, I've never even been to the gay meccas of Hartford, Connecticut or Tampa/St. Petersburg, but I did once live in New York and observed that, among a host of other unique attributes, The City has a very noticeable and seemingly large gay population. And I was able to conclude this despite an aversion to public fitness that kept me far away from any of the city's gyms.

The only thing I can take from such a demographic surprise is New York's comparatively small gay population is really, really good at being gay.