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San Francisco Gay Travel Guide
New York may have more gay residents. Montreal may have a larger gay village. But San Francisco is the undisputed gay capital of the world. How did it get such a status? Perhaps it’s the location, snug on a peninsula in the middle of a breathtaking bay surrounded by majestic hills. Perhaps it’s the famous attractions, like the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, with its wax museum, and Pier 39, with its sea lion community and Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Perhaps it’s the recreation areas that abound in the city, like Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a wild, untamed chunk of land on the bay perfect for hiking and kayaking, and Golden Gate Park a swathe of green larger than New York’s Central Park, filled with walking paths, museums, and performance spaces. Perhaps it is the unique neighborhoods, like Chinatown, largest of its kind in North America, Union Square, with its shopping, The Haight, with its punks, goths, and hippies, The Mission, with its nightlife and strong Latino heritage, Nob Hill, with its funky shops and great dining, SoMA, with museums and galleries, and the legendary Castro, the heart of Gay America. It could be any of these things, but we think the reason SF is the gay capitol of the world goes back much farther…all the way back to the era when it was called “Sodom by the Sea.” The 1800s. When rich gold miners indulged in every vice imaginable. This started the precedent for gay residence in the area. And in the 1970s when the police informed the residents of San Francisco and the world that as many as 70,000 gay residents might be living in the city, the city didn’t care, and the oppressed gay residents of the world responded by moving to San Fran to be among their own kind. And today it is estimated that nearly a third of the city’s residents are gay, and no city in the world is more influenced by its queer citizens. The city’s gay community tends to be politically charged, but laid-back, stressing individuality rather than fashion and beauty. Though The Castro is the famous gay center, you’ll find gay establishments and residences spread out liberally across all the neighborhoods of San Francisco (with noticeable collections in Hayes Valley and SoMa.) BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit, is one of the nation’s best, and alleviates the need for a car in this congested city.
Gay San Francisco Bars, Restaurants and Clubs
The best place to start is probably The Bar on Castro. It’s been around forever, and it’s still just as popular, with a nice dance floor and a busy bar. Twin Peaks always has a crowd, though it seems to draw the extreme opposite ends of the age spectrum, the very young, and the very old. The Pilsner Inn is a Castro institution which attracts a masculine crowd of all ages. The Mint hosts an insanely popular karaoke party on Fridays. The Café epitomizes The Castro, with strong drinks, top-40 dance mixes, and a broad blend of ages, girls and boys. Just a block away is Metro, popular for its balcony which overlooks the pedestrian haven of Market Street. Mecca is an upscale restaurant, but its bar is a popular schmoozing place for the small Prada-draped division of the SF gay community. Beyond the Castro is a wealth of other quirky gay spots, like Martuni’s, a piano bar with legendary martinis. The Phone Booth is a popular neighborhood hangout, drawing an eclectic, rock-loving crowd. Trax is another such spot, with a bit of a punkier twist. Lesbians favor The Lexington Club, the only all-dyke-every-night bar in the city. The leather crowd flocks to Badlands, Daddy’s, and The Eagle, which isn’t the same cookie-cutter leather bar you find in virtually every major city in the world. The San Francisco Eagle features lesbo-punk bands and mud wrestling.
Bay Gays love to dance, and there’s no shortage of places here to do it. We still can’t exactly figure out the name, but Club Endup has been rocking every weekend since 1973 and it shows no sign of losing its popularity. Friday night is most popular here, but Sunday morning bright and early (or really, really late if you’ve partied all night, as most SF boys do) at 6am the club fills with leftovers from Saturday night dancing at Club Universe, and Endup’s legendary T-dance rocks nonstop until 2am Monday morning! (Yes, that’s 20 hours for you non-mathematicians, and Yes, some people don’t leave the dance floor that entire time!) Club Townsend hosts two massively-popular gay dance parties, Universe on Saturdays (less gay, but one of the biggest dance nights in America, usually featuring superstar DJs if not superstar performers like Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Kahn, and RuPaul-it’s gayest after 2am), and Pleasuredome on Sundays (the only place to go in San Francisco on a Sunday night…all-gay all-night). The King Street Garage is connected to Club Townsend, and hosts Sundance Saloon on Sunday nights, a country-western dance party, and Futura on most Saturday nights, a gay Latino dance-a-thon. The Stud draws a young crowd for the popular Sugar Party on Saturdays, and hosts the popular Trannyshack on Tuesdays, with patrons turning out in all phases of drag and genderbend. N’Touch is popular with the Asian crowd and those who like them. Diva’s is the spot for transies to rock out, and also attracts a healthy following of cute young guys.
Regardless of your taste buds, San Francisco has something for you, from fried fish and shrimp wrapped in newspaper on Fisherman’s Wharf, to elegant, take-out-a-second-mortgage haute cuisine. In the Castro, Harvey’s is a bistro and bar, dedicated to Harvey Milk, a city council member who was murdered by a homophobic colleague in 1978. Café Flore is enormously popular for breakfast and lunch in its open-air setting. Hot ‘n’ Hunky is a gay burger joint. Quetzal Café in Hayes Valley is a gay internet café with a variety of snacks and drinks. Dottie’s True Blue Café serves a Sunday brunch that is an institution in San Francisco. For more substantial dinner fare, try Pasta Pomodoro, a popular Italian dive in The Castro. Bagdad Café is the spot for 24-7 American (go figure) comfort food. Valentine’s is popular for its vegetarian menu. Mecca serves expensive eclectic cuisine in a chic atmosphere that the gay crowd just can’t get enough of.
Gay Friendly and Gay San Francisco Hotels
San Francisco has a wealth of gay B&Bs and small inns. Perhaps the most famous is the Inn on Castro, renowned for its location at the intersection of Castro and Market streets. It doesn’t get any gayer than that. Most rooms have shared bath, so ask before you book. Unless, of course, you want to share your bathroom with someone! The Willows Inn, a similar property, is just a few blocks away. For something a bit more upscale, try the Parker Guest House, also centrally located, and all rooms have private bath. Another favorite is the Belvedere House, right on the edge of the Castro. The Summit is a male-only, clothing-optional B&B. A lesbian-only property in the Castro is Ethel’s Garden. Tom’s Place is a leather guesthouse. Other gay-owned inns and B&Bs include Inn 1890, Inn San Francisco, Rick’s, The Shannon-Kavanaugh House, Friends, Olive’s Gate, Castro Suites, and Terrace Place. It being San Francisco, it’s hard to imagine any hotel not being gay-friendly, but a few larger hotels which aren’t gay-owned, but advertise specifically to the gay community, are the Renoir Hotel, the Hotel Union Square, the Hotel Atherton, and the Allison Hotel.
Call an edirp.com gay travel specialist at 1-888-EDIRP-EZ (1-888-334-7739) or (214) 520-0345 (U.S.) to book any of the hotels mentioned above. Any hotels with links may be booked via our secure online booking system.
San Francisco Gay Pride and other Gay Events
San Francisco hosts one of the largest Pride events on the planet. Normally the last week in June, the event draws tens of thousands of revelers and activists, and is equal parts politics and party. In mid-June, Frameline, the International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, is held. It’s the oldest and largest homo-film festival in the world. Up Your Alley is a major leather event held in Dore Alley. It takes place at the beginning of August (or end of July), and is second in popularity only to the Folsom Street Fair in late September, the defining event of the San Francisco leather community. In early October, the Castro Street Fair closes the street with dancing and entertainment. The AIDS Candlelight Memorial and Mobilization is a global event on the last Sunday of May. It had its beginnings here in San Francisco in 1983.
Travel guide by Benjamin Starr, a travel writer who claims the entire world as his home. When he's not at home, he can sometimes be found at a residence in Dallas, Texas. To contact Ben, email him at benjaminstarr@sbcglobal.net. |
