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Writer and photographer Jenn Kennedy leads us on a tour of San Francisco as a summer destination, visiting neighborhoods including Chinatown, The Haight, North Beach and of course, the city's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender hub, The Castro.
Recently my girlfriend and I spent a long weekend in San Francisco, and I was reminded of the merits of the Northern Cal enclave. San Francisco is both easy to get to (with two nearby airports) and get around, with trolleys, trains, buses and cabs available everywhere. If you don’t mind a bit of fog, it’s one of the best gay destinations in the world. There are a slew of incredible buildings and bridges, fantastic restaurants and a welcoming population.
San Francisco is the second most densely populated major city in the U.S. and is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the larger San Francisco Bay Area, a region of more than seven million people.
In 1776, the Spanish established a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for Francis of Assisi. The California Gold Rush in 1848 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth, transforming it into the largest city on the West Coast at the time. After being devastated by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt and hosted the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later.
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During World War II San Francisco was the send-off point for many soldiers fighting in the Pacific.
After the war, the confluence of returning servicemen, massive immigration, liberalizing attitudes and other factors gave rise to the Summer of Love and the gay rights movement, cementing San Francisco as a liberal bastion in the United States.
Today, San Francisco is a popular international tourist destination renowned for its steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture and its famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the cable cars and Chinatown. It’s also one of the most overtly gay cities you’ll find.
I visited the city with my girlfriend, a former resident, who drove me through the neighborhoods and gave me the local guided tour.
Our first stop was Chinatown, the oldest and largest Asian community outside of Asia. Officially, Chinatown is located in downtown San Francisco and overlaps five Postal ZIP Codes. It is within an area roughly one-mile long by 1.34-miles wide. A major focal point in Chinatown is Portsmouth Square, one of the few open spaces. It bustles with activity such as people practicing Tai Chi and old men playing Chinese chess. Any time of the day, you’ll find crowds of Chinese buying food and various sundries at crowded markets. Tourists are tempted by zillions of trinkets in the outlying shops.
We then stopped for a truly Italian meal in North Beach, whose colorful past encompasses Little Italy, the Barbary Coast and the Bohemian/Beatnik tradition. North Beach has the unhurried feeling of a village with all the amenities of an exciting big city. Generally regarded as one of the country’s top urban neighborhoods, North Beach is referred to as the heart and soul of San Francisco. Notice all the poles are painted in the Italian flag colors, so you know you’re in the right spot.
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Next we took a winding drive up to Twin Peaks lookout. We were hoping to catch a city view, but as you can see, the persistent fog made visibility minimal. If you happen to arrive on a clear day, the view is amazing!
Haight-Ashbury district is famous for its role as a center of the 1960s hippie movement -- a post-runner of the Beat movement --members of which swarmed San Francisco years before the "Summer of Love" in 1967. The '60s era and modern American counterculture have been synonymous with San Francisco and the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood ever since. It’s sprinkled with colorful storefronts hinting at the neighborhood’s rich past.
Our last stop was the Castro, which is widely considered the world's best-known gay neighborhood. Harvey’s bar (pictured above) opened in 1996 in memory of Harvey Milk, the slain gay civil rights activist.
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Today the Castro is the heart of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activism and events in San Francisco and hosts the historic Castro Theater, Harvey Milk Plaza, the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the Castro Street Fair, Gay Pride Week, Halloween festivities, as well as many other fantastic events. The Castro is also the destination of the famed F Street surface trolley line featuring colorful historic trolleys from around the world. Also located in the heart of the Castro, The Café has long been a mainstay nightclub for the LGBT community.
In addition to the delights of San Francisco proper, there are also great hikes, wine tasting and scenic drives just outside the city. I do suggest you bring comfortable shoes for the hilly sightseeing and a jacket for chilly evenings. Year round activities are listed at https://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/what_to_do.
