The Castro in San Francisco

When I went to the Castro for the very first time…i thought I died and went to heaven…My favorite bars then was The Mens Room and Moby Dicks……

I ran into a high school friend of my brother's on Castro Street back in the '70s. I think it freaked him out that someone he knew from his hometown in NJ knew he was gay. It was an uncomfortable encounter, I thought, and we had never had those back in NJ. I saw him again in DC in the '80s. He'd gained at least 50 pounds. I wouldn't have recognized him if I hadn't known he was coming to that particular dinner.

Met some great friends at Midnight Sun as a gayling. Even during the dark times of the late 80s and early 90s, gay kids still flocked to the Castro. Glad I could witness it. Though I also saw a lot of death walking around.

Also loved Midnight Sun. Great vids, fun on a Thursday night. Stopped in a few years ago (it was still there) and it looked like the same people from the late 80s and early 90s. Good to know the old gurls are still alive!

I went to visit for the afternoon back in Summer 1980. I was staying with (str8) friends and they took me to see. I was just 17, from England. I guess I was starting to look at the "gay world" and wondering where I was going to fit in.

There were a lot of bars, crowds of guys spilling out onto the streets. Many had the hanky in the back pocket thing going on...wasn't there the keys as well, or chains. Clones. Moustaches. Leather gear.

Two guys were having a noisy row and one of them falling into the dirt. It felt a bit like wandering into an orthodox Jewish part of town. Strange vibe. Strange clothes.

By the time I moved to America it was all over. Gays didn't want to be so easily identifiable, in general, especially as very promiscuous - so the clone look and the hankies were gone. That would never have been my world. I don't think I ever even knew a clone or a former clone.

[quote]The Mens Room and Moby Dicks……

we used to call it "Maybe Dick"

Skip the Castro and go to the Powerhouse or Eagle in Folsom/SOMA neighborhood. With the exception of the charming and historic "fern" bar, Twin Peaks, most everything else in Castro is a generic video bar, catering to the RPDR demo. Although The Mix and The Edge retain some tattered neighborhood character.

I always hung out at the Watering Hole in the Folsom area…but would always take Market to the Castro for sentimental reasons before I flew back home.

When I use to live in Upper Market, many Sundays afternoons were spent on Metro's balcony w/cocktail in1 hand and cheap, but bland appetizers from adjoining Chinese restaurant in other

The 440.

I lived near the Castro for a summer in 1997, and I worked out at a small gym on Market St. The locker room scene was pretty hot. Had plenty of guys exchange hand jobs in the showers. And one gym acquaintance was proud to show off his new Prince Albert as we were changing. He said 'it's fun...want me to fuck you with it?' as casually as if he were offering me a spot while working out. I love San Francisco.

Well, r11, did you let him?

R12: Unfortunately, no. Too paranoid about HIV and that a PA might break a condom.

Castro Street Fair 1982

I arrived to San Francisco in the summer of 1978. A friend took me to the Castro and the first thing I noted was that all the men were wearing Levi 501's and had mustaches and short hair. I also noted their bomber jackets. I didn't seem to fit in and instead hung out at the Stud south of market.

I use to wear 501’s, butch flat-top with a leather jacket ….like 40 years ago.

But I still think it’s a hot look in any year

How did they dress at the Stud, r15?

The Hole in the Wall Saloon is the low-key best bar, but it’s not in the Castro.

I wish Hole in the Wall wasn’t so far out of the way. Great vibe - but I’m not going to Uber there just for that. The Castro is great because you can bar hop. However tired they may be, the abundance of gay bars within walking distance is a rarity in the world now. Always enjoy a night in the Castro.

For contrast, the first time I went there, which was probably 2007 or 08, it felt like going to Little Italy in NYC expecting to see Italians. There were a couple of things here and there and there was a sense that you were in a Gay Neighborhood, but was not anything like it was back in the 70s or 80s when "San Francisco" was a euphemism for "gay", not "tech bro"

Coming from NYC, where everyone is coifed to the T, when I went to the Castro for the first time, I thought, "THIS is the gay part of town?"

Everyone is so casually dressed there.

I’ve heard some pretty kinky stories about Hole in the Wall…..

By 1978 the puck scene had hit the Stud and we were already spiking our hair and wearing lots of black with no facial hair. Everybody wanted to look like David Byrne.

And another one from the real early days when there were vice cops…The Toolbox

And that cowboy bar……The Rawhide

I had a similar experience as R20. The first time I was there was around 2015 and my friend and I circled the neighborhood several times looking for the bars... we never found anything all that fun (or all that gay).

Was the dark cruise bar across Market from the Castor called Detour? It was two levels and had chain link fence. Had some good times there.

I miss the old Badlands when it was hot messenger/alternative types, bails of hay, good music. I stopped going when it turned into a twink video bar.

I still stop into Twin Peaks (is it triggering to still call it the Glass Coffin?) for an afternoon beer every time I go to SF. Those types of bars won't be around much longer.

I miss Marlena's and Gangway, which neither were in the Castro, but were always my favorite dives to stop into.

I was already on DataLounge when I first visited San Francisco. A friend was selling her eggs and I traveled with her for free. She wanted to see the famous Castro as much as I did and Twin Peaks was the first place we stopped, I think Lady Gaga was the big thing then and she had shown up there a few months earlier. We were seated and she went to the restroom while I waited for our drinks and she came back with a funny look on her face. I asked her what was up and she said the bathroom smelled just like cookies. I almost fell out of my seat laughing. There is a cookie shop next door and the restroom did indeed smell like cookies. I explained the smelling cookies meme and for the rest of the trip whenever we saw a cute guy we’d decide if he smelled cookies or not.

There's a bar on Castro at Market called the Twin Peaks which has huge plate glass windows around its two sides, so you can see everything going on inside from the sidewalk. And most everything going on inside is about 85 years old, hence its nickname, "The Glass Coffin". One evening, I was walking with friends near the bar when an ambulance pulled up in front, and the queen walking in front of us turned to his friend and said, "Oh, there's the Twin Peaks Taxi." I find it hilarious to this day, when I think of it.

Many a drunken happy hours spent at Midnight Sun. The 2-1 special was deadly. Nothing like getting hammered by 8, grabbing pizza next door at Nizarios and home in bed passed out by 9. Didn't really matter what night of the week is it was.

When I first started going to San Francisco regularly (mid-1980s), the Castro was always a stop for two things: A Different Light bookstore and the bulk-coffee place next to the Castro Theater, which had amazing coffee at a cheap price.

One night I was at a punk club on Polk and saw the guy who had sold me the coffee that morning. He had some laughing gas whippets (whip-its?) and kindly shared them with me.

When smoking was outlawed indoors, that was the first place I saw people openly smoking pot in a club while cigarette smokers were hiding in back corners puffing away. Still makes me laugh.

I bet R29 is always late to the party.

Aw, thanks, R32. And yes, I do. Who arrives on time to a party? 😘

San Francisco, like New York has great drinking bars.

So.... is the Castro still worth a stroll for a gay man or a gay woman of any age in 2021, if haven't been in San Francisco in 20 years, like me?

Would one rarely encounter two guys kissing or walking hand-in-hand in public nowadays?

Too bad Blow Buddies and Nob Hill Theatre are gone.

The Castro is still gay - even if less so than it was. There are 7-8 gay bars. Probably the most gay area in the country. Clearly visibly gay.

R36,

The problem is that none of those bars are fun. The Castro couldn’t be more depressing. I’ll take bar hopping in HK, Chelsea or the West Village over the Catro any day. I’d actually prefer to go to the bars in Williamsburg or Astoria too. Maybe the Castro has its day, but I’ve never seen it.