Gay Travel Buddy

Are you planning on a trip to San Diego?  Undoubtedly you will wind up in Hillcrest at some point, the majority of the gay bars and clubs are located in Hillcrest with a few in Down Town, North Park and Old Town.

Hillcrest has a great selection of restaurants, coffee shops and boutique shops to keep you busy for days.  There is an abundant supply of furniture shops, however much of what you see will be nearly impossible to take back on the plane with you and may be a bit pricey to ship.  There is a nice selection of clothing shops that have a nice array of lightly used clothing and new designer labels.  There have been higher end shops that have come and left over the years, the average gay resident in San Diego cannot afford such clothing.  As beautiful as San Diego may be it is not known for big industry due to its high cost and lack of quality talent, I have hired many people in San Diego and have found them to be very lazy and without experience.  I am originally from San Diego myself.

The majority of gay bars, clubs and restaurants are centrally located on University Ave, the range stretches from 3rd ave to Park on the far other end.  The West end of Hillcrest has Urban Moe’s a fun lively large bar with generous outdoor seating and a large range of diverse events every evening, check their site for details.  Fiesta Cantina is also near Urban Mo’s on the West end and is a very open bar with great drinks and a lively crowd.  The Brass Rail is also on the West end on 5th St, this bar is one of the oldest and has a difficult time creating an identity for itself so I cannot tell you what crowd you will find as it changes all the time.  #1 5th Ave is also on the West end, it is a large venue with outdoor seating in the back, the staff is friendly and they service a wickedly strong cocktail, this bar typically serves a more mature crowd but has a wide range of patrons.

The south end of Hillcrest has a gay hotel called the Park Manor Hotel, there is a very large bar on the roof.  Every Friday early is a happy hour that starts around 5pm and gets packed!  They have great views of Hillcrest and downtown, I highly suggest if you are not staying at this hotel to stop by for the happy hour, it is a ton of fun and you will likely meet some fun locals or tourists.  Some of best hotels are in the Gaslamp District, I suggest hotels from the Starwood chain like the W.

Centrally on University you will find Flicks a small video bar that has a pool table and has a nice range of events nightly.  I have had some great times at this bar over the years.  Just steps away is Rich’s a large dance club that tends to fill up after 10 or 11pm, there is commonly a cover charge and their drinks are a bit on the pricey side.  Recently a club called Universal was just across the street with a mix of Metro Sexual’s and twinky 20 something gay boys.  This place had attitude and the staff was very snooty, I was not sad to hear they went under.   Baja Betty’s a wonderful restaurant and gay bar is also in the center of Hillcrest with great food, service and a fun crowd.  Baja Betty can be quite a mess during Cinco de Drinko or Cinco de Mayo the 5th of May a big Mexican holiday.

On the East end of Hillcrest is Numbers, a large multi room dance club.  Numbers is generally your 20 something crowd and has great music, usually a cover charge and pricey drinks on Park.  Just across the street is the Flame another dance club with a nice range of events depending on the night, check their website to see what is going on as it changes.  100% worth the trip, my absolue favorite gay bar is on the other end of Park is called Bourbon Street. my personal favorite bar that has a generous patio out back and multiple bars, this is not a dance club but is a ton of fun.  Bourbon St now serves food as well, their events change from night to night so check out their website to find out what you are into.  Just around the corner is Cheers a small gay bar with a pool table, the staff is friendly and the crowd is a nice range of both younger and older.  You will also find Lei Lounge a bar/restaurant right next to Bourbon St.  The food is really good, the service is great, there are some really hot waiters there!

Like many gay centers, Hillcrest has a nice selection of gay gym’s.  You can find 24 hour fatness err fitness which is located on 5th near University, I went to take a picture of Gold’s and found it to be closed.  Also, I been asked several times if their are any Gay Bath Houses in San Diego, there is a very large one centrally located in Hillcrest called Club San Diego, on 4th ave.

Hillcrest Restaurants

While visiting Hillcrest you must eat at either the Tractor Room or Hash House a Go Go, located right across from each other on 5th.  They get PACKED! be sure to plan on getting their early in order to get a table.

San Diego Pride is a very large event, the celebration is found all around Hillcrest but the focus of the event will be found in Balboa Park, just south of Hillcrest.  The pictures below are of the part of Balboa Park where they setup the festival.  Balboa park is very large so be sure you know where you are going.  During pride taxi’s are a commodity that is very scarce, you will see tons of rickshaws around.  A word of warning, these guys are not cheap and you could pay 3-10x a normal taxi fare.  Make sure you ask how much before you hop in, they will try to lure you in.  Some of these guys are rather hot, and may be fun to watch sweat while you get a ride to your next bar.

Since the arrival of the iPod, record stores have begun to vanish, especially in the Castro, including a large Tower Records that closed down in 2006. This is unfortunate, as one of the greatest ways to break into a culture while traveling is by exploring the local music scene. U.S. cities seem to especially hold an exclusive bond with their beloved music shops with most places having been around for decades. Streetlight Records, though with multiple U.S. locations, is one of the last great music stores in the Castro area. Located on Market Street, this place has a very decent selection of music and movies and also operates by buying and trading from  customers. This shop is located near Trigger and Catch and just across from the Cafe.

Another famous San Francisco music spot is Amoeba Music, the world’s largest independently run record store. Not only do these music shops sell a wide selection of new and used products, they have also created a loving fan-base with their listening stations and live shows on site. Over the years those in Haight-Ashbury have had the chance to see weekly live performances, from Flogging Molly and the Black Keys to Patti Smith and Elvis Costello. There have even been appearances from the knuckleheads of Lonely Island, the British troupe behind The Mighty Boosh and the American musical kid’s show Yo Gabba Gabba. For more information on their upcoming shows and events, or to browse past archives visit amoeba.com

Streetlight Records 2350 Market St, 888-396-2350

Amoeba Music 1855 Haight Street, 415-831-1200

Voltio Guadalajara – Gay Bar

Voltio was created by men for men. So needless to say, there is a lot of shirtless action going on here. This relatively new bar is one of a kind in Guadalajara with more character than the clubs and with an older clientele of hairy hunks and burlier men. Most “man bars” however are often dungeon-like, too dark to see who’s grabbing your butt when you walk by, and with a special mixed aroma of urine and beer. Although Voltio is housed in a small, converted warehouse, the place has cleaned up rather nicely, with subtle fairs of decor, and soft-lighting to best check out all the cuties walking in through the main door.

The best thing about Voltio (besides not having to take care of your drunken fruit flies or fag hags) is their high-energy parties. The most popular ones are their underwear parties, their leather parties, and their stripper parties. Yep, sounds like a man came up with all of these. Not too intricate, but they get the job done. For the leather and underwear parties a majority of the guys tend to participate, so make sure you pack you best tighty whities and your leather gear (that’d be a great story for airport security!) The strippers here go full-frontal so be ready to see some peacocks.

Mexicaltzingo 1521 (Enrique Diaz De Leon)

Bite Guadalajara – Gay Sex Shop

Bite is the only sex shop in Guadalajara catering specifically to the needs (and urges) of gay men. And there is only a handful of stores like this one in the entire country, so make sure to make a visit if you’re in town. The staff is very friendly and open to discussing any product that they sell. Bite offers the typical stuff: popular lubricants mostly made in America, sex toys of all shapes and sizes, and of course videos and magazines with homo erotic content (also known as gay porn!) At Bite you can also find accessories like handcuffs and feathers to get started on a night of role play. For the kinkier set, there is also a limited selection of leather and S/M gear.

If you can’t personally make the trip to Guadalajara but want to support an independent sex store in Mexico (like I mentioned, there aren’t that many of them around) you can also shop online in the privacy of your own home. Their website is www.bite.mx. But then again, there is nothing like feeling up a dildo with your bare hands. The Bite show room in Guadalajara is open Mondays to Fridays, 12pm to 9pm and Saturdays from 1pm to 10pm.

Garibaldi 1389 B (btwn Ramos Millan and Andres Teran)

52 (013) 315-9266

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.

Folsom Street Fair

San Francisco is well known for its Folsom Street Fair, as you may have guessed its located on Folsom St. which is located in SOMA (South Of Market Area).  This street fair is not just for gay men, this is one of the largest Leather Fettish fairs in the world.  The city of San Francisco shuts down a very large portion of Folsom St and several streets leading up to the fair.  If you are not aware San Francisco is a very difficult place to find parking at any time, day or night.  This fair causes massive traffic problems getting in and out of the city.

If you are flying in to SFO and want the fastest route in during the fair, take BART.  BART is our Bay Area Transit System, trains depart directly from the international terminal at SFO.  Cabs are plentiful, however if you take one be prepaired for a VERY expensive trip.  BTW, if you hate bad drivers stay away from the cabs, NYC cab drivers are tame compared to the lunatics that drive in SF.  When you get to the BART station, which is interconnected via the airport tram.  Just head to the International terminal which also says BART, there are 2 stops, pay attention or you will get off on at the wrong station.  The train fair is about $10, which has doubled due to our lovely Union operated train system which is already poorly maintained.  You would figured at the prices they charged they could at least have a cleaning crew through the day.  Watch where you sit or you could be sitting on gum, or who knows what else?  Although if you are easily grossed out, I would suggest avoiding this fair.

Just a few years back the city health department shut down one of the most disgusting parts of the fair down.  The worlds largest cum rag, I am not joking.  Down one of the side streets, guys would do their thing from the balconies above on a giant cloth.

As a reference, different colored leather or vinyl means different fetishes.  Red, which I didn’t know any better means you like to get fisted!  I will never do that again.  Yellow, you can probably guess means you are into water sports or for the folks who do not know means you like to get urinated on and or urinate on other people.  Trust me, straights are into this as well.  Golden Showers are another commonly used term for this is Golden Showers.  I just got a little queazy writing that.  But wait, Brown means well you either like to receive or give a number 2 or take a dump on someone, otherwise known as SCAT.  I am grasping to not loose my lunch to finish this.  I know there are other colors, however I really just don’t want to know about it.  If you come unprepared and want to dress up, the largest leather store in the city is Mr S leather, located just a few blocks south on 8th St on the left hand side.  They can outfit you with a custom harness, you better not be shy about someone grabbing your privates in order to size it around your loved ones.

For the GLBT community, please patronize the businesses that have spent serious money to put up booths.  NONE of the food is operated by gay companies, many gay owned businesses in SF and around the bay area donate part of their proceeds to very important charities that help disabled people and those who are living with HIV or advanced AIDS.  The pharmaceuticals are getting rich on the medications.  For example one medication called costs about $1,500 a month without insurance.  I have personally paid for several desperate young men’s prescriptions, I was horrified.  Unlike most gay men in San Francisco, I think of others before myself and unless they are Meth addicts I will help them.  Meth addicts will lie and use the money for more Meth and not the drugs that will keep them alive.  Don’t let any of them fool you.  A close personal friend of mine, John McLaughlin an openly recovered meth addict and a gay actor in Hollywood.  He opened my eyes to what the drug does to people, he has a film about his struggles with it and I am SO genuinely proud of him and what he has done for the gay community.  The group GLAAD (Gay and Lesbians Against Anti-Defimation), which I used to donate to on a regular basis until they treated me like SHIT as a volunteer who donated many thousands of dollars to them.  But their management is to blind and full of themselves to see who really makes a difference in our community.

Enough of me bitching about the empowered gay’s and how poorly they work well together.

Folsom has many closed booth’s where they demonstrate different fetishes, including whips and other instruments of pain for pleasure.  I have met many of my straight friends in the fair, their curiosity to what goes on in this fair.  So if you are straight and are interested in seeing whats going on, don’t be affraid.  No one will push you to do anything you don’t want to do.

Most of the gay bars within the confines of the street fair cater to the “Daddy/Leather/Bear” segment of the gay community.  I have attended at least 6 of these street fairs over the years and have always found those bars are packed to the gills.  The whole smelling like a poorly maintained high school locker room is revolting to me, however I will not criticize any part of the community.San Francisco for the most part is safe, but if you have not been here before.  It’s important to know that there are some not so great areas and getting mugged is a possibility especially late at night.  Always watch where you are walking, don’t play with you phone while walking.  Especially if you have an iphone, I have heard countless times from friends that they where mugged and stole their phones.  Just stay aware, I have personally NEVER had a problem that I couldn’t get away from, and have lived in the city many years.  I pay attention, that’s the only difference.

If you are staying in Union Square, you can walk to the fair in 10-15 minutes.  I would suggest walking, taking a cab can be a fruitless effort with all of the traffic.  There is always crazy traffic during the fair.  Just walk down 5th St and you will run right into it, the fair ends at 12th st.  It’s a huge event, many thousands of people will go through it.

Folsom St. between 5th and 12th St.

Gay Spots in SOMA - All links are to Google Maps, the exact location of each Business.

Gay Sex Clubs

The city of San Francisco requires all sex clubs to provide condoms and require their staff to look to make sure you are using them.  There is no private rooms of any sorts, to find that you will need to go over the bridge to Berkeley to Steam Works.

Blow Buddies - 933 Harrison St.  Just a short walk away.

Shops

Mr S. Leather – By far the largest leather & fetish shop in the city, also very close. 385 8th St.

Restaurants

Mars, a good 15 minute walk is worth the walk and has many gay events. Mars has a broad menu, American Fair at high quality, great brunch with outdoor seating  798 Brannan.

Basil Canteen is an amazing Thai Restaurant, if you like Thai food, make sure to try them. 1489 Folsom St.

Custom Burger is an amazing burger with the finest selection of meats and vegetarian options.  121 7th St.

Gay Friendly Cities

I and many of our amazing contributors have been all over the US and over the world.  I am adding this page to try and help you determine if a city is friendly enough to visit.  Some places can be down right dangerous, for example its illegal to be gay in Jamaica, I have heard many horror stories.

But Moving on to my current home to start.

Austin - Is a very gay friendly town, a very large selection of Gay Bars, very gay friendly hotels like the W.  The new W is actually just around the block from Oil Can Harry’s.  Great restaurants as well, Santa Rita, Kerbey Lane Café and South Congress Cafe too name a few.  It’s sorta like San Francisco in a strange way, and a big music town.

Denver – Is an amazing, mostly gay friendly city. This city also has its share of religious nut cases who cause some trouble from time to time. From what I know of, there isn’t a specific gay hotel in Denver. However you have many options
downtown, including the Westin and Sheraton, which are both gay friendly. The mile high city also gets more sunny days than any other major city in the US. The Westin actually has this fairly strange indoor-outdoor pool, its rather unique as well as a gym. The famous Palms steak house is attached and is very good. Personally I prefer to patronize gay owned restaurants, so I wind up at Hamburger Marry’s a very large gay bar/restaurant/drag show.  You can find a good selection of Denver’s Gay Bars.

Las Vegas – This one is really on the fence for a full recommendation. If you have other options, I think you should consider them. Even with such a huge service industry, overall Las Vegas is not all that gay friendly. Promoters like J.Son are
trying to change that; he was able to convince the Luxor to host the only weekly gay pool party throughout the summer season. In the 90’s their spa became a little hot spot for gay men, however the Luxor had security in they’re at all hours throwing them out. This is a big change in direction. On the other hand you have hotels like the Encore who have pages promoted online about being gay friendly. They forgot to tell their staff about that. Even the high priced hookers wouldn’t leave me alone; she couldn’t believe I was gay.

Las Vegas has only 1 all gay hotel that is clothing optional called Blue Moon Resort, located just West of the North end of the strip. On the strip there is one gay nightclub called Krave. It is not open every night, there is always a high priced
cover and the drinks though strong are very expensive. It’s on the south side of Planet Hollywood off Harmon. Just east on Harmon a few blocks and a right turn on Paradise will get you into what’s known as the fruit loop. You have multiple
bar options here, 8 ½ and Piranha are connected, and this is a higher end bar/dance club. As well as Gipsy, which is just next-door. Across the street you will find Buffalo, a mixed crowd with pool tables. Just to the right of Buffalo is an adult video and toy store. Across from The Buffalo is Free Zone, make sure you check out their calendar before going, they host many ladies nights as well.  There are quite a few more gay bars, my personal favorite is Charlies which is located West of the strip off Tropicana and on Arville in what looks like an industrial business building.  Starwood has one hotel just east of the strip on Flamingo, its a Westin, has a small casino as well.

San Diego - My home town, most of the gay activity is centralized in one area called Hillcrest.  You will find a nice selection of gay bars, restaurants of all types, gay gyms like 24 hour fitness, and shopping galore.  However, like San Francisco there are few hotel options.  There are tons of gay friendly hotels in down town San Diego near the Gas Lamp District that has great restaurants, shopping and gay bars.  San Diego offers lots of beach options, however I believe all of the beaches are now alcohol free and the police will check coolers.  San Diego does not have a very user friendly public transportation system, so consider renting a car.

San Francisco - Ok yeah, duh San Francisco is a very gay friendly town.  You might be surprised to know that its not the highest population of Gay people, Dallas I believe is number 1 then Los Angeles and then NYC.  San Francisco is very diverse, although the Castro is the heart of anything Gay, you can find gay establishments all over the city.  The city is broken into many districts, The Castro, The Haight, Lower Haight, Nob Hill, Lower Nob Hill, Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf is a huge tourist trap, avoid at all cost.  The older gayborhood was on Polk St. so you can find a few bars in that area as well.  I can’t think of any major hotel in the city not being friendly, now some of the smaller cheap “weekly” rate type places.  The largest concentration of Gay Bars is in The Castro, then in SOMA there are some of the more leather, daddy type places.  My current favorite bar in The Castro is Blackbird, a laid back gay bar with an awesome staff.  My other favorite is a wine bar called Blush, amazing wine, food and people!  San Francisco also throws and incredible pride event every year, you just missed it this year but if you have the chance you must see it.  The Castro has very few options when it comes to lodging, I would suggest trying Union Square.  Most of the best shopping is in Union Square.  There are also several options for gay gyms in The Castro, 24 Hour Fitness and Gold’s Gym to name a few.

Seattle – Other than the lack of warm days, Seattle is extremely gay friendly with the majority of activities, including bars and restaurants are located in Capitol Hill. Very close to down town, it’s a bit of a hike if you choose to walk it. The hills are nowhere as steep as San Francisco but if its cold enough you will regret not taking a cab or driving. Be very mindful of the parking signs, they have some of the strangest parking restrictions I have ever seen in the US. They do not color the curbs either, my first visit I wound up getting a nice fine, nowhere near a fire hydrant.

Like Portland, there is a large hipster community, however not as intrusive. Washington State also has the highest taxes on alcohol so when you walk into a dive bar and get charged $10 for something most other places would be $4-5.  Gay Bars and Night Clubs list.

As any big city, Seattle has tons of hotel options. My personal favorites are Starwood properties. The Westin is one of the largest and is not owned by Starwood, it is a franchise. They are undergoing renovations; their new rooms are very nice if you can get one. Some of their older rooms do show their age, ask if you can get a remodeled room.  We have a short list of gay friendly hotels in Seattle.

This article is a work in progress and not close to being done.

Portland Pride parade & festival

Portland’s Pride parade and festival falls on Father’s Day every year, which also places it one week prior to Pride in both San Francisco and Seattle, making it possible to go to Pride in Portland one week, and a bigger event the next week.  That being said, for Portland’s size, their Pride is fairly large and well-attended.  Spectators get to be a bit closer to the actual parade than in San Francisco.  There are some perennial favorites, such as Dykes On Bikes, and The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, but you’re just as likely to see quirky Portlandisms, such as a pirate ship, or the local women’s roller derby league.  The parade snakes through downtown Portland (beware, it crosses the light rail tracks, making public transit incredibly slow), ending at the waterfront park where you’ll find the festival.  The festival occupies a three block length of the waterfront park, from SW Pine Street & Naito Parkway to the Morrison Bridge, and is filled with booths from local organizations and vendors, and also has food and a performance stage.

Stereotypes Audio Portland

One of the benefits of visiting Portland is that there’s no sales tax in Oregon.  You might want to consider a bit of shopping while you’re in the area.  If you’re a music lover like me, you’d be doing yourself a favor by visiting Stereotypes.  Stereotypes is the rare stereo and home theater shop that’s all about the music.  It’s run by a former radio DJ, and to say she’s gay-friendly would be an understatement.  The staff at Stereotypes are all experts in putting together systems where all of the components work together to just produce really good music.  The products range from entry-level micro systems to component systems that can wind up costing as much as a luxury sedan.  But I have to say I’ve been to a lot of high-end stereo shops, and I’ve heard systems that cost well into six figures that didn’t sound nearly as good as some of the mid-priced systems at Stereotypes.  Aside from value, the staff here has an infectious enthusiasm for what they do, and a commitment to service that you won’t find at many other high-end shops, which can tend towards pretension and exclusivity.  In my experience, the staff here are equally equally happy to help someone buying a $35 accessory as they are to help someone looking to spend over $20k on a single component.  Even though I’ve since moved to another city, and some of the same brands are available here, I make a point of visiting Stereotypes when I’m in Portland, due to their outstanding commitment to customer service, and making sure that people wind up with what’s best for them, not what’s going to mean the biggest commission.  It’s conveniently located across the street from Crush, so after you’re done shopping, you can walk across the street and stop in for happy hour.  Closed Mondays.

1401 SE Morrison St # 115  (503) 280-0910