Marathon Pundit: California Collision: The Castro

Saturday, August 08, 2009

California Collision: The Castro

Ask people to tell you what comes to mind when they think about San Francisco, and the replies you'll get are "cable cars," or "Golden Gate Bridge."

And of course, "gay people."

How many? I don't know, but all surveys place San Francisco as the gayest city in America.

On my last evening in San Francisco, I decided to head to the heart of San Francisco's gay community, or at least the traditional focal point, The Castro.

It's named for Castro Street, it was once a Scandinavian neighborhood, then an Irish one, until bargain-hunting homosexuals began snapping up cheap homes in the 1960s.

By the 1970s, Castro Street became not only synonymous with gay San Francisco, but the gay lifestyle itself. But AIDS hit The Castro hard, which led city officials to close the Castro Street bathhouses where men met for, well, not baths.

Compared to Chicago's "Boystown," Castro Street doesn't appear that gay. But compared to just about anyplace else, it sure the heck is. There are rainbow banners on every street lamp post, same-sex couples holding hands, and well, gays walking around everywhere.

Maybe I missed some, but on Castro Street, I saw just one sex paraphernalia shop. Although a sweets store, Hot Cookie, has red men's briefs on display in its storefront.

I didn't see that many bars, and the ones there, didn't have clearly gay monikers. Again, unlike Boystown. Although there is a pizza restaurant on Castro called "The Sausage Factory." While I was snapping my picture of the restaurant's sign, a man gleefully told me, "Great minds think alike."

Hey, I'm just a journalist.

I'm sure the spirit of Sodom and Gomorrah lives in The Castro. But to find it, I guess I have to probe a bit deeper.

Oh, as I noted in the previous post, Harvey Milk's camera shop is now a gift store.

Next: Is something going on here?

Earlier posts:

Harvey Milk's Camera Shop
F-line streetcars