Gay Travel Buddy

Kababayan Filipino Restaurant

Kababayan is a small Filipino restaurant. Think taqueria only Filipino. They have a small amount of limited seating and offer foods to be ordered at a counter. There is no table service. The place is extremely no-frills, but that often means one terrific benefit: cheap and easy. Kababayan is nothing if not cheap and easy.

The food is comfort food at its best. They offer such dishes as adobo, pancit, sinigang, and lumpia. It is all quick and greasy and reasonably priced. The service is a bit inconsistent, with experiences ranging from pleasant to hostile, but overall the service is not the main draw.

This is a place to grab a quick lunch or some drunken take out food. What it lacks in ambiance it makes up for in convenience. Don’t forget to hit the ATM before you go; they only take cash.

It is right near the BART station on 24th and Mission, a short 5 minute walk away

2706 Mission Street -San Francisco -Mission District

Limon Roisserie Preuvian Restaurant

Limon Rotisserie is a tiny gem located slightly off the beaten path in the Mission. It is a Peruvian restaurant, featuring Polla A La Brasa, or grilled chicken which is a dish near and dear to those familiar with the native cuisine. The chicken is marinated and roasted slowly over hot coals to give it a unique and delectable flavor. The Castillo family perfected their recipe in Peru and brought it to America to bring a taste of home to the States.

In addition to the chicken, there are braised ribs, or Seco de Costillas and ceviches galore. Limon also serves Chifa, which is a fusion of Chinese cuisine with Peruvian fare. This is served as mainly wok-fried vegetables. The rest of the menu is composed of small plates that are intended to share, a la tapas.

Now that you know what kind of food to expect, let me tell you about the ambiance. This place is sexy. Low lighting, tasteful decorations and aromatic dishes, this is an excellent place to bring a date. The restaurant is often filled with couples gazing into one another’s eyes while devouring a delicious plate of exotic food. I highly recommend Limon as the place to start out a romantic evening. They also have wonderful sangria to help grease the wheels a bit.

Located at :1001 South Van Ness Avenue -San Francisco -The Mission

It is right near the BART station on 24th and Mission, a short 5 minute walk away

The Velvet Cantina

The Velvet Cantina is a plethora of different things in a fantastic potpourri. Dive bar? Sure. They serve stiff margaritas and drinks with grace and style but minus the high price tag. There is a full bar in that back room that carries with it a southwestern charm. Pitchers of margaritas (especially the watermelon) are a must if dining with friends. The bar also serves as an excellent place to spend time while waiting for a table.

Mexican restaurant? Absolutely. The chips and salsa are divine: fresh and house made. The other menu items are very good, but pay special attention to the avocado and chicken enchiladas or the refried beans. These are the real stand outs amongst the dishes that my guests and I enjoyed. The waitstaff is stylish and friendly and do not skimp on the service extras (like filling your glass from the pitcher of margaritas!).

All in all, this is an excellent destination for a boisterous dinner with friends. The restaurant is often busy and usually loud, so if you can’t beat ‘m, join ‘em! Have that second pitcher of margaritas and have an excellent time!

Also near 24th St. Mission BART‎ if you are on foot.

 Located at 3349 23rd Street  -San Francisco – The Mission

Cafe La Boheme

Since 1075, Cafe La Boheme has been bringing it’s world flavor to the Mission. They offer delicious coffee, teas, wine and even sangria. In addition, their menu includes both American and Mediterranean cuisine options. Vegetarian or vegan? They have menu items to both accommodate and thrill you. Sandwiches, paninis, salads and variety plates dominate the menu.

The coffee is wonderful here. Just as important, the atmosphere is delightful. I felt quite welcome there and noticed quite a few people reading or working on their laptops. In addition, the owner is often here and is quick with a smile and a kind word. There are even a few older gentlemen who reminded me of  Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show, minus the grumpiness.

There is live music from time to time in the evenings, usually of the “World” variety. That makes this sort of an all around coffee shop. It is a place to grab a bite, get caffeinated, relax, get some work done and be entertained. A great variety of experiences to be had in one location.

Located at 3318 24th Street -San Francisco -Mission

It is right near the 24 street BART station.

El Castro

ESTACIONAMIENTO

¡Advertencia! Si tienes la intención de conducir en el Castro, mantiene estas cosas en mente sobre donde puedes estacionarte. Entre semana, un permiso S cubri estacionamiento fuera de los parquimetros en frente de las residencias del Castro, Noe Street, Lower Haight, y el área de Duboce Triangle (Triángulo), tal vez unas calles más. Dependiendo de la calle, puedes estacionarte por 1 ó 2 horas antes de necesitar un permiso. Si te estas quedando en casa de un amigo o incluso un “bed and breakfast” (alojamiento y desayuno) se puede obtener un permiso temporalmente. Pero vas a necesitar una prueba de que te vas a quedar en esta area, de lo contrario no lo vas a pode obtener.

Sólo hay un estacionamiento de pago en el Castro y esta muy bien escondido, la entrada esta en Noe Street justo al norte de Market. Ten en cuenta este garaje se cierra a la medianoche. Si estás buscando por este lugar en cualquier mapa, la dirección se encuentra en Market St. así que puede ser un poco complicado de encontrar.

Los parquimetros se vigilan muy estrictamente! El Castro es la parte más estricta de la ciudad, hay más guardias aqui que en cualquier otra parte de la ciudad. Ve tu parquimetro con cuidado y le las señales con mucho cuidado. Algunos de los lugares de estacionamiento estan solamente reservados para los vehículos comerciales hasta las 4pm y no estoy seguro si los sabados tambien estan reservados para vehículos comerciales o no. Los parquimetros son gratis los domingo, hasta los lugares comerciales tambien. Los lugares reservados para vehículos comerciales estan pintados amarillo. Observa cuidadosamente para parquimetros rojo, en estos no mas se pueden estacionar por media. Si tienes una placa de discapacidad, no se estacione en lugares comerciales cuando entre semana o recibirás una multa. En California, placas comerciales se identifican con una sola letra. Por ejemplo, 1X12345 es comercial, 1XYZ1234 no lo es. Estos parquimetros son muy caros y no conozco a muchas personas que tienen mas de $10 en monedas en su bolsillo. Para ser esto mas conviniente, se venden tarjetas que se pueden utilizar para los parquimetros de la ciudad en la tienda Rossi’s Deli.

Fijate por señales en los parquimetros anunciando eventos o zonas de construcción, esos van a ser enforzados estrictamente. Tambien revisa tus llantas por marcas con gis, si sigues poniendo dinero en el parquimetro más allá del tiempo asignado puedes obtener una multa. La manera fácil de que te estan moderando de encontrar esa marca de gis en las llantas que se da a la calle.

No sé a ciencia cierta, pero me han dicho que una compañia privada fue contratada para encargarse de las multas de estacionamiento. Ya que la multa se haya dado, no hay manera de cancelar, asi que no vale discutir con la gerente o puedes terminar en la cárcel. Esta no es una broma, si se sienten amenazados pueden llegar a lanzarte tras las rejas! Muchos de estos gerente tienen muy mal humor y no toleran mucho. Es en tu mejor interés no molestarlos. Puedes tratar de luchar contra una multa de estacionamiento, pero en mi experiencia, esto es casi una cosa imposible de ganar. Es peor que la lucha contra una multa por velocidad. Si piensas que el gerente se ha equivocado, puedes hacer lo que quieras para justificarte, pero no hay mucho a tu lado.

Ten en cuenta que enfrente del Castro Theater hay 4 o 5 lugares de estacionamiento que en cualquier momento puede cambiar a no ser disponible, solo zonas de carga. Va a ver señales cuando esto pase, asi que fijate. Igual, no intentes discutir, realmente no vale la pena.

Y para tu informacion, estacionamiento con parquimetros adicionales está disponible detrás del teatro, y Sliders está justo en frente. El acceso a este lote es a la derecha de Naia. Hay un segundo lote junto en la calle 18, detrás de Walgreen y a lado de Magnet, la clinica de salud sexual para hombres.
Los parquimetros son caros, $0.25 no te compran más que unos minutos en algunos locales. Puedes comprar una tarjeta de estacionamiento en la página web de MTA, y la estación del MUNI Montgomery los vende durante horas de trabajo regulares.

Tambien puedes comprar tarjetas de estacionamiento en Rossi’s Deli, direccion 426 Castro St. cerca de la tienda Diesel en la interseccion de Market y Castro. El otro lugar donde he comprado tarjetas de estacionamiento es en el la gasolineria Chevron, también en la esquina de Market y Castro, pero ahi no mas venden la tarjeta de $20.

TRANSPORTE PÚBLICO:

Si estás buscando alternativas para llegar al Castro, estás de suerte. San Francisco tiene un gran sistema de transporte público, y hay un montón de opciones. Durante las ferias como Orgullo Gay y la Feria de Castro Street a lo mejor es fácil conseguir un taxi que te lleve al Castro, pero conseguir una de salida puede ser un caos. Olvídate de estacionamiento, tendrás un tiempo muy difícil encontrar un lugar porque estas ferias son muy populares tambien con personas que vienen desde lejos en sus Vehículos. Muchas de las calles se cierran temporalmente o están configuradas para no ser disponibles para estacionar.

Tambien hay un tren de cable que va encima de Market Street llamado la línea F, estos trenes van desde Fisherman’s Wharf al Castro. Por lo general este servicio termina alrededor de las 11 o medianoche. Puedes tomar este servicio desde Union Square, donde se encuentran la mayoría de las grandes tiendas y hoteles. Pero esta es la manera más lenta posible de transportacion en San Francisco, aparte de caminar. Estos trenes son antiguos y por eso muy lentos!

Si vienes desde Union Square, la forma más rápida a llegar al Castro es a través del servicio de tren MUNI, que se encuentra bajo tierra. Para aliviar la confusión, en Union Square se puede entrar a las estaciónes de Montgomery, Powell Street, o en Civic Center (Centro Cívico). Estas estaciones son los más cerca a Union Square, y Powell Street es la calle más céntrica de Union Square. También hay una parada del la linea F y de BART en Powell.

En la plataforma hay dos direcciones, inbound (entrada) y outbound (salida). Trenes que van de entrada se dirigen hacia el Embarcadero o siguen en dirección oeste hacia la bahía. Trenes de salida van hacia el este, y pasan por el Castro. No utilice la linea J, porque se dirige a Church Street, que si está cerca al Castro, pero no es la mejor opción. La línea N se dirige al distrito del Sunset y recorre todo el camino hasta llegar a la playa. Aunque la linea J y la linea N se paran en estación de Church Street, no pasan por el Castro, aunque se puede caminar desde allí. Tanto las líneas J y N salen a veces a la superficie.

Las líneas de salida que te llevarán a la estación del Castro son K, L y M. Durante las horas pico entre semana, hay una linea S o la línea de Castro Express que salta muchas paradas y es muy rápido. Aungque no es muy buena idea esperar por la linea S, a veces el tiempo de espera entre los trenes puede ser muy largo y he esperado un buen tiempo por la linea S desde Powell no mas para encontrarlo tan lleno que no se podía subir.

No se apoye en las puertas de los trenes en movimiento, he escuchado historias de las puertas abriendose repentemente mientras los trenes se están moviendo a toda velocidad. Estoy seguro de que no es divertido salir volando afuera de estos trenes. No trate de subirse en el tren sin un pase válido, no tire este pase después de pasar por la puerta. Estos trenes tienen policía que comprueban las entradas, y te darán una desagradable multa si te encuentran sin un pase. Yo también no tocaria nada en el tren, algunas personas que viajan en los trenes no son muy higiénicos!

Algunas noches cierran los trenes subterraneos temprano y servicio pasa a los autobuses de la calle, que tendrá las mismas letras que los trenes. Durante los fines de semana hay autobuses que funcionan toda la noche por Market St. que no recurren seguido, pero es una alternativa si no tienes dinero para un taxi.

VIDA NOCTURNA Y BARES GAY:

Aunque el Castro tiene una larga lista de bares gay, se pensaria que habria más lugares para elegir, sin embargo hay un límite estricto sobre las licencias de bebidas alcohólicas dentro del Castro por lo que es casi imposible abrir más bares.

Blackbird es un bar que abrio reciente en el Castro, y tiende a tener un público más joven y mezclado. Es unas buenas cuadras desde Market y Castro, pero vale la pena el esfuerzo. Es el bar más cerca a un “lounge” que tenemos y tambien tiene una mesa de billar.

Blush – Un favorito personal, este bar de vinos sofisticados es muy relajante y ubicado en el corazón del Castro, cerca a 18^th St.

2223 es un bar y restaurante, así que puedes cenar y brindar en una sola sesión. Buena comida!

El Café es un bar y club de baile gay muy grande situado en el centro del Castro, con un montón de eventos todas las noches.

Twin Peaks es una barra de buen tamaño en el Castro, que atiende a un público de edad mayor. También se conoce como el “Glass Coffin” (ataúd de cristal0, así que usted puede leer entre líneas.

440 Castro es una barra de buen tamaño, que tiende a satisfacer a los osos y cachorros. También tienen un par de noches que son para chicos más jóvenes y un noches de cerveza barata que son muy popular.

Bar On Chuch (formalmente conocido como Bar On Castro), pero después de perder su contrato de arrendamiento se movió desde el Casto a Church St. El nuevo lugar es muy amplio, y la gente es una mezcla, pero por el lado más joven en general. A unos cortos pasos de Gayway, perdon Safeway.

Trigger es un bar para el público “gay yuppie” (jovenes profesionales), las bebidas son por lo general el doble precio que en cualquier otro lugar. A mi me gustava ester lugar, pero se ha dejado ir en calidad en mi opinión. Incluso page por su “Black Card” (tarjeta negra) el primer año, pero no lo volveré a hacer.

Martuni’s es un bar gay con piano, situado en las afueras del Castro. Aqui hacen sus bebidas y cocteles muy fuertes y diferentes eventos casi todas las noches, es un buen lugar, intimo y elegante.

The Mix es otra barra gay de tamaño medio con una bonita terraza al exterior en la parte trasera. Aqui tienen algunos divertidos eventos y una mesa de billar. Atrae a una gran variedad de público, y en el pasado he conocido a algunos chicos muy agradables aquí.

Moby Dick es un bar pequeño pero divertido con una mesa de billar y un tanque de peces detras de la barra. Un lugar popular para los equipos de deportes gay para brindar despues de un partido.

Harvey’s es un restaurante muy popular y emblemático de la vida gay. Esta situado en el corazón del Castro en la esquina de 18th y Castro, visita obligada para todos los turistas.

The Edge es el bar para osos y cachorros, nunca he estado aquí, pero siempre veo que hay mucha gente por lo general.

Toad Hall es un bar gay muy popular por un patio exterior, la gente es mezclada con una gran cantidad de jóvenes para elegir. Yo lo llamo “Toad Vomit” (vómito de sapo), pero no mas es mi punto de vista.

Badlands es el bar gay más popular en el Castro, gente muy joven, con pantallas LCD en todas las paredes. Esta es la trampa para todos los turístas porque cuando entres no vas a querer salir, los precios de las bebidas son muy razonables y una buena hora orientada a matar a las personas con intoxicación alcolica.

The Mint, técnicamente está fuera del Castro, pero que está cerca de Martuni’s que vale la pena mencionarlo. Este es tu lugar si quieres una noche de karaoke.

TIENDAS

Best in Show – Una boutique de juguetes para tu perrito, tu ser mas querido.

PERSONAS SIN HOGAR:

San Francisco es la capital para personas sin hogar de Norte America. Y los turistas son los principales objetivos. Sé que vas a sentir lástima por ellos y ellos te dirán todo tipo de historias locas sobre todos sus problemas. Si les das dinero, te seguiran preguntando, una vez que observen que le diste a uno, los otros te perseguiran por mas cambia. Tan feo como suena, es mejor no hacer contacto y decir no gracias y seguir caminando. Si les das un cigarro abres las puertas para que empiezen a pedir dinero. La ciudad les ofrece dinero, alimentos y vivienda.También tienen decenas de opciones de educacion, ayuda a conseguir un trabajo y asistencia médica. Ellos o tienen problemas mentales o elegin sequir molestando no mas para arruniar tu dia.

RESTAURANTES:

El Castro tiene una gran selección de restaurantes para elegir, todos muy fáciles de llegar a pie. En el extremo major en terminos de precio, hay Catch, un restaurante de mariscos que es realmente delicioso, está situado en Market St. en el Castro. Igual que Eureka, que se encuentra el la calle 18, tres quartos de cuadra desde Castro St. en dirección hacia “Dolores Park” (Parque Dolores). Una de las mejores novedades es Starbelly, en la esquina de la calle 16 y Market. Puedes hacer reservaciones en “Open Table” (Mesa Abierta) para ambos Catch y Eureka. Starbelly, a menos que haya un grupo muy grande es por orden de llegada, hacie que espera una espera.

Francés

Bisou – Esto es mi restaurante Francés favorito en San Francisco, sin duda alguna! Tienes que probarlo!

Americana – Alimentos para satisfacer a los borrachos

Harvey’s – Debes probarlo, concinan muy bien la comida Americana, tiene tambien una barra grande y el personal es muy amable.

Home Restaurante – Este es el restaurant que debes de ir para probar el almuerzo, asegúrate de conseguir una reservacion y trata los panes hechos en casa.

Cafe Flore - Un café al aire libre, con un bar y un restaurante, agradable en los días soleados.

Orphan Andy’s – clásica cena Américaca, abierto las 24 horas, también tienen una gran seleccion de comida con bajas calorias y carbohidratos para los borrachos en dieta.

China

Brandy Ho’s – Uno de mis favoritos tambien, su estilo es Hunan asi que puede ser picante.

Nirvana – Comida aqui es más fusión asiática. Los fideos valen la pena probar. Y tambien los excelentes cócteles!

Sushi

Osaka Sushi – buena comida, excelente ubicación, por lo general algunas de las opciones de pescado son bastante buenas.

India

Bombay

Kasa – Kasa es un pequeño restaurante y único en como sirven la comida India, he comido aquí decenas de veces y siempre me encanta.

Méxicana – Latina

Luna

Mediterráneo

Café Mystique – Una adicion más reciente en el Castro y un buen cambio de las típicas opciones.

La Mediterranee – no lo he probado, pero otra opción.

Italiano – Pizza

Nizarios – Pizza servida en rebanadas y siempre rico.

The Sausage Factory – Uno de mis restaurantes italianos favoritos en San Francisco, debes probarlo.

Escape From New York Pizza – Un buen lugar para una rebanada o si tienes apetito, toda la pizza entera. Tambien entregan a domicilo.

Marcello’s Castro – Pizza por la rebanada

Mariscos

Anclaje Oyster Bar – Una gran opción para los amantes de ostras!

Catch – Cena de lujo, tambien uno de mis lugares favoritos.

Tailandesa

Thai House Express

Vietnamita

Zadin – Un gran restaurante vietnamita, tambien incluye un menú sin gluten.

Postres – Cafes

Castro Tarts – Un café pequeño, es un poco difícil de encontrar.

Hot Cookie – Una pequeña panadería que hace unas galletas que parecen muy similares en el sistema reproductivo humano, pero mas sabrosos.

The Cove Cafe – Una pequeño café con postres.

Castro Street Fair

Tomorrow is the return of the annual Castro Street Fair, a fair dedicated to businesses and services catered to the Castro.  This is one of the only times of year that access to upper Market is closed for this fair, I would not recommend driving to the festivities.  If you are driving into the city, consider parking in SOMA or at a Muni station beyond the Castro and taking MUNI train in.  Every year traffic around the Castro is nearly at a complete stop, do yourself a favor and avoid this area.  If you are flying in, you can take BART to Van Ness or Powell St and switch to the MUNI train.  You have to walk out of BART’s gate to get into MUNI.  DO NOT TRY AND RIDE MUNI WITHOUT A TICKET, you will get a serious fine.  It’s not worth messing with this, do not throw out your ticket as its likely that the police will be on the trains!

You can read lots of great tips about the Castro on our page dedicated to the Castro.

San Francisco Gay Pride

It’s coming up on that time of year again, San Francisco loves Gay Pride and you will see signs of it all over town.  Rainbow flags can be seen on most major street for at least a month before pride.  The festivities are scattered all over the city, you may think that the Castro would be the center of everything.  However, the Castro is no wear near large enough to host the event.  The city is very generous to us and provides the park just across from city hall and ropes off many blocks beyond the common areas.

Entertainment

Throughout pride, there will be a very diverse set of shows, concerts and other fun and very well organized events.  This map is from sfpride.org, it can give you an idea of the size.  The line up of acts are scattered all over, each street has its own stage, some have several.  A very detailed map can be found here.

Pride Parade

The official Pride Parade is held June 26th, it starts at 10:30am.  Still blows me away that they start it so early, especially since so many party till 6am.  The parade starts near the Embarcadero that famous building that says the Port of San Francisco and is in many movies.  Depending if the city changes things, at the moment its scheduled to start at Market at Beale and heads down Market st and ends on 8th St.

This is the 41st pride parade with the theme of “In Pride We Trust”.

Transportation / Parking

This is really important to know if you have not been to SF Pride before.  If you are driving in, Market St is closed for the Parade from the Embarcadero, where Market st starts and will be close all the way to Van Ness.  It will be impossible to drive across Market and when the parade is in motion, you will not be allowed to cross on foot either.  Under the Westfield center, where Nordstroms and Bloomingdales are easy to find, at the basement levels and also on the street, harder to get to when its that crazy.  You can enter the MUNI/BART station and come up on the other side, making it easier to get through.

Be aware, parking will be VERY difficult, even as a local who knows where find parking, I struggle and everyone says I have the ultimate parking Karma.  So just do yourself a favor and try not to drive, if you are coming in from out of town you can always stop at a major BART station just outside of the city and take the train in.  The trains will be packed and uncomfortable, if you are clostrophobic I would suggest not going this route.

I highly suggest arranging for a driver, if you are an iPhone user or an Android user.  Download the free app UberCab, I use this service all the time and so far have had little to no problems.  Get a group to meet in one of the outside of the city parking lots and have a driver pick you up and drop you off.

If you are coming from SFO on the day of the parade, either take BART, which is going to suck.  Or arrange a car service, TRUST ME, the cab drivers here will purposely try to drive through the worst of it just to get that meter up.  Most car services are just a little more expensive than a cab.  Be sure to be VERY specific in your instructions about how to get there.  TRUST me, you will hate life waiting in the car for 3 hours fighting through traffic.  Always double check traffic online, if you don’t have an iphone or another smart phone, you should not be even getting on a plane.  Sorry this is just too basic.

Have the driver take you 101N heading to the Golden Gate Bridge, DO NOT get off on 7th, normally that is the fastest route, just not on any parade day.  The 101 to the bridge is on the left side and you will want to head towards Duboce.  There are 2 lanes, the right lane will force you into Mission St, it moves faster and you will be tempted to take it. DONT!!  Take Duboce to either Pearl or Guerrero St. and turn right.  You will run into Market, turn right on Market and merge left IMMEDIATELY!  Or be stuck in the traffic I am trying to get you out of.  The left lane will push you towards Franklin, you want to turn left on Franklin.  Your best bet, unless you are handicap, is to have the driver drop you at the San Francisco Opera on the Franklin side.  Just walk across Van Ness and you will be right there.  That may be a mess, so here is another option.

If Franklin is too busy here is a local shortcut, taught to me by a vet cab driver.  Same way off the 101 N, head on Duboce and do not turn.  You will hit Market St.  Cross over and head up the hill, the name changes to Buchanan St.  As soon as you see a clear street to turn left, turn left and then take a right on Webster.  Webaster is a hidden, very fast way across the city, its heavily patrolled so don’t drive like I do.  Keep going till you get to at least Eddy and the turn right.  Cross over Van Ness and then turn right at the first available street that does not look like a disaster.  Yes, it is possible to look before turning, most drivers can’t do this, but well learn.  Those are the easiest ways to get dropped off.  You should not get picked up on the East site of Van Ness, its just too crazy.

The best pickup locations are going to be south of Market, way south, like 5 -10 blocks down.  West of Van Ness at least 2-4 blocks.  This event is worth planning a transportation strategy or you will be SO SORRY that you will never want to do this again.  I have been to 6 of these, every year its worse and worse.  Of course if you are staying in Union Square, you can just walk and that saves tons of un wanted stress.

The parking garages will be nearly all full unless you get there at say 6 am.  Let’s face it, you come to SF Pride and are not out late the night before?  The geriatric pride is in another city.

Have a disabled placard?  That’s cool, won’t help you worth a shit.  There is NEVER even close to enough diables spaces to accommodate everyone, maybe 10% at most.  SF is big on helping disabled people, but this is one event that no matter if they made every space around the area for disabled vehicles, it would not help at all.  I am disabled, I rarely use the placard myself unless I am in dire need, so I understand the frustration.

So you are staying in Union Square and are going to walk over?  I do not intend to scare you with this, but just follow these simple rules and you will have no issues.  To get to this area you have to walk through the Tenderloin District, an area with a tremendous amount of homeless and drug addicts.  They prey on tourists.  This is slightly hard to stomach, but just trust me and keep walking, do not make eye contact and say no thanks.  Most of them will not go much further than that, unless you make eye contact.  You can read a little more about how to handle them on our Castro page.

San Francisco Hotels

It’s easy to assume that the gay mecha in the US would have a great selection of hotels in the Castro.  Sadly there are only a few options and only 1 of them is a typical hotel rather than a bed and breakfast.  The only main stream hotel is Beck’s Motor Lodge, I have been unable to get a rate with them yet.  But will post a link if I can get one.

The majority of the bars are located in Union Square, below are hotels that I have personally stayed in.  If you choose to book through the link provided, we receive a tiny commission to help pay the hosting.

Union Square

Hotel Diva – A simple boutique that I used to stay at all the time before moving here.  Great staff, small rooms, very simple amenities.  Great location, plus a StarBucks attached to the lobby for the coffee addicts.

Westin St. Francis – By far my favorite hotel in San Francisco, it is older, but very well maintained.  Some of the views, especially from the newer tower is breath taking.  The elevator is all glass and freaks people out.

There are far more great, gay friendly hotels that we have not had a chance to write up yet.  The Monaco, Adagio, St. Regis, Hyatt, 4 Seasons, Sheraton and a few others are great.  We will get more up soon.  If you are like me and want to not hear screaming children when I am on vacation or a business trip.  Stay away from the Marriott, the lobby is constantly covered in them.  Imagine waking up with a raging hang over and going down to the piercing screams of a miss behaved 10 year old or 30 of them?  I just can’t do it.

SOMA – South of Market Area – Near Union Square

Westin – The Westin is located just half a block from Market St. a wonderfully upgraded hotel and views that are hard to forget in the right rooms.

W Hotel – A great choice for the trendy crowd, the bar is a great place to people watch and is only 2 blocks from Market St.

The Castro

Will be absolutely nuts during the entire event, by no means is this a warning to stay away.  You must visit the Castro, help keep our community strong by eating at places that are gay owned.

Parking is horrible all year round in the Castro, during pride or the Castro Street Fair, just forget about it.  The absolute best way to get in and out is using the underground MUNI train.  They will be very busy during pride, do not go down to BART, you will wind up in another city.  The most common lines are K,L,M or as a very good friend told me tonight.  Just think of Martin Luther King, MLK when getting on a train.  None of those will send you the wrong way.  From the event, you will want to go “Out Bound”, “In Bound” will send you the wrong way.  There is a station directly in the Castro, just wait till you get there.

Security and Self Protection

Even in the most gay friendly town in the US, we still have problems.  Please be aware of your surroundings at all times.  Do not accept a drink from a random stranger, that cute boy may give you something that will make you do what he wants.  Likely just to rob you, but maybe worse.  While in bars, DO NOT ever let you drink out of your hand or site.  Getting drugged is not a common problem, but especially during big events when people from out of town come in, all sorts may show.

San Francisco Police Department is very supportive of Gay Pride and provides a literall army of officers to keep things under control.  Unless you are being dumb, peeing on the street – illegal now, finally.  Or beng out of control, they will be very helpful.

The Castro page has links to every bar and most restaurans in the area, hopefully that will help you find the right bar.

Hotel Diva San Francisco

I have been recommending Starwood hotels, they are great and are very gay friendly.  In San Francisco there are obviously far more selections available, not all are totally gay friendly.  But for the most part this city is very accepting, the exceptions typically are foreigners that have moved to SF to start a business.

I have personally stayed at the Hotel Diva at least 5 times and have had a great experience every single time.  The rooms are small and simple, the photo above is their suite.  The suite looks like a normal room, the normal rooms are very small, so don’t try to stuff 4 people in one.  You will be sorry.  The beds are a little more firm than I typically like, but not that bad.  The elevators sorta feel hokey and un-safe, but I never had an issue with them.

They have valet parking available, its just a partnership with one of the garages around the corner.  My advice if you are driving your own car, park it yourself in one of the large garages.  A close garage is on Mason and Ofarrell St. you park your own car, which keeps your mirrors and bumpers intact.  Union Square is a very difficult place to have a car, street parking is enforced very aggressively and the ticket prices now start at $75.  If you are in a spot long enough you can get multiple tickets in a single day.  When you hit 6 they just boot the car and you have to pay a huge fine to get the boot off.  It’s just not worth the hassle.

In the lobby you have access to a Starbucks, which is attached and on the oposite side of the lobby you can go to Collbri a nice Mexican Restaurant with a huge collection of Tequila.  I thought the food was good, but growing up in San Diego my perception of what Mexican food should taste like is extremely jaded.

I have always found the front desk staff to be pleasant, helpful and quick.  But its been a few years since I stayed there, I did attend a party in one of the suites just a few years ago.  Again its small but a nice room.  The Diva tends to be one of the most affordable hotels in Union Square and is not a dump or a place where you will be treated like just another reservation.  I also see they have a gym, I can’t recall ever seeing it myself.  But there is a 24 hour fitness not too far away, a 10 minute walk.

It’s location is just a block from Union Square and is a short walk to the Powell St. MUNI/BART train station, MUNI underground is the fastest way to The Castro especially during heavy traffic periods.  During rush hour they actually have a “Castro Express” train, it only makes one or two stops past Powell and then straight to the Castro or gayley forward as I am often corrected for.  The F train, which are those well kept antique trains take a very long time.  You may be able to walk faster the whole way.

If you are looking for an amazing restaurant that will not brake the savings, just a block up Geary is Grand Cafe.  It’s a French restaurant with amazing service, amazing food and a great bar.  It’s connected to the Hotel Monaco.

Click here to book at the best rates for Hotel Diva on hotels.com

440 Geary St. (415) 885-0200

Westin SOMA – San Francisco Hotel

When one hotel does well, why not buy another one and slap your name on it?  Well there is a second Westin in San Francisco, its located just south of Market St. on 3rd.  So technically its in SOMA, it is listed as the Westin Market St, however it’s not on Market at all.  In comparison this Westin is much more modern than the Westin St. Francis located in the heart of Union Square.  I love both, I have stayed in both.  But the rooms in this hotel are much nicer and the views from the high floor rooms are amazing!  I have also had a much higher chance of getting a much better upgrade with the Starwood Preferred Guest program.  I have platinum status with them, I am a big fan of the upgrades.  If you are stuck living in hotels, its a nice place to get stuck in.

This hotel is a hair easier to get in and out of compared to the Westin St. Francis and its very close to the Powell St. MUNI/BART train station.  As a tip if you are in the Bloomingdales/West Field Shopping center, on the bottom floor you can directly access the train station and not have to enter from the street.  A helpful tip if it happens to be cold out.

If you choose to drive in to this hotel, either with a rental car or your own, this Westin has Valet parking.  I have never had the feeling that they are going to wreck my car parking here.  So I wouldn’t worry about parking here, other than it is not cheap.  There are plenty of self parking structures around, not terribly close but you can throw a rock in any direction and find one.

This Westin is fully loaded with amenities, including a nice restaurant and of course room service at all hours.  They do not have an indoor pool, the W just down the street has that.  This Westin has a nice gym that is well maintained.  You are also just steps away from all of the great shopping in Union Square, all of the top brands are available like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Sacks Fith Ave, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, the Apple Store and so on..

The Castro also has a nice selection of some unique shops, clothing, shoes, jeans and of course some hot underwear choices that will make any gay guy go nuts.  Except if you like food too much, stay out of the thongs, I don’t want to see you in it, nor does anyone else.  Personally when I am doing my homework on where I want to stay in a city I usually start my search close to all of the gay bars.  SF is one of those cities that does not offer great accommodation options in The Castro, which is the gay center of San Francisco.  You can be sure that this Westin is an easy place to grab a cab and if you decide to stay out late at a bar in The Castro, you can find a taxi line right at 18th St and Castro St.  It’s right in front of the Bank of America, if you do not see a cab waiting just stand there, one will show up in a few minutes.  Most of the cab drivers in the city know its a active spot.

If you happen to be visiting the 3rd week of the month and want to see the gay nightlife in full swing.  Ruby Skye, located in Union Square has a gay night called Fresh.  This only happens on Sunday of the 3rd week, any other night is full on breeder central.

If you book with this link below, you will get the best rate that they offer.  Plus this site will get a small commission, not enough for a steak dinner, but it helps pay for the hosting.

Below is a direct link to book on Starwood, which will allow you got get points and earn stays for status.

If you are looking for the best rate, I suggest hotels.com.  Its a little hard to find exact hotels on their site, so I have done the work for you.

Westin SOMA on Hotels.com
 

50 Third St, (415) 974-6400

W Hotel San Francisco – Gay Friendly Hotel

If you are a fan of modern hotels, the W in San Francisco is a great option and one of my personal favorites.  The location is hard to beat, it’s located in SOMA “South of Market area” near the Moscone convention center and close to all of the great shopping in Union Square.  It’s just a few blocks walk to Market St and another block to the left will put you at Stockton where there is an entrance to the MUNI station, specifically the Powell St. station.  Which is also a BART station, be sure not to confuse the two or you might end up in Oakland rather than the Castro.

The W has a very popular bar in the lobby, as with most W hotels they call it XYZ.  As with most hotels in SF the elevators are coded with your door key to keep the unwanted out.  This W also has a great indoor pool, which is a rare thing in SF, you can also find one at the sports club LA located on Market St.  I do not believe you can get a daily pass there, but its worth checking.  The W also has a work out room, they call it “Sweat”.

This W as most has valet parking, if you are driving in your own car and care about it, be very careful to watch them mark down scratches.  I speck of dust is a scratch to them, I have a distinct feeling they have severely damaged many cars and use the overly marked up tickets to get out of it.  I happened to drive my brand new car, not even 24 hours old in and they marked down that every panel had scratches and dents on it.  If you drive around the alley located on Minna St between the museum and St. Regis Hotel you will find a city park.  You can access this alley via 3rd st, the address is 147 Minna Street.  Do yourself a favor and park your car yourself!  Trust me!!

I have stayed at this W 5 times and love this property, however the standard rooms are very small.  If you can get a high floor room you will love the view.  The North East corner will give you a great view of the bridge behind the sky line, its quite something to see on a clear day or night.

The front desk staff is friendly, even under the pressure of long lines of people they seem to hold together and try to help.  Even if you are a Starwood Gold or Platinum member, upgrades are difficult to obtain especially if you are staying more than one night.  Flirting helps, but not a guarantee of anything.  Acting like a NYC pompous ass, will get you a crap room next to the dumpster.  The disabled room trick also applies here, the rooms are slightly larger.

The typical rates are about $200 a night, but if they are busy or have a conference it can be $400.  Try and book early if you can, be aware their super special rates are non refundable.  It may not be clear on the website, trust me I have had to argue my way into getting a credit.  If you are planning on earning a stay towards your Starwood status, do not book the room on any of those travel sites like Expedia as that will not go towards your status, no matter how much you pay.  Just having Gold will get you slightly better rooms and the ability to get as late as a 4pm check out.  Which after a wild night can really be a nice feature.

Another tip, if you fly United and have status it may be possible to get Gold via a promotion for members.  Check out their website to see if they have anything going on.

As all Starwood Properties the W is one of the most gay friendly hotels in San Francisco.  I see lots of gay men every time I am in the building.

If you are a beer fan, across the street is a place called Thirsty Bear Brewing Company.  They have some great micro brew’s to try and the food is great.

If you are a Starwood point collector or just collecting stays, you need to book on Starwood.com.  The link below will take you directly to this hotel on their site.

The W on Starwoods site

If you are looking for the best rate, I suggest hotels.com.  They do not make it easy to find a specific hotel with their search, so I have done the work for you.  Link just below.

See the W’s rates on hotels.com
The W is at 181 3rd St, (415) 777-5300 – Don’t confuse it with 3rd Ave as that is in the opposite side of town.