Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Contemplate the stained-glass depiction of St. Francis of Assisi inside SF's oldest
standing structure, Mission Dolores.
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A Different Light.
The city's
best gay and lesbian bookstore
hosts many readings and other
events. Drop in for books on the his-
tory of the Castro. Another store
worth checking out is Cliff's Variety
(p 77).
489 Castro St. (at 18th St.).
y
415/431-0891. www.adlbooks.
com. Daily 10am-11pm.
$
Gayest Corner in the
World.
This proud moniker for the
intersection of 18th and Castro
streets highlights the Castro's diffi-
cult history and proud resilience.
No plaque proclaims this to be the
gayest intersection on earth, but
most Castro residents will affirm
that it is and may point to the profu-
sion of rainbow flags as proof. Dur-
ing the 1970s the gay community
moved into this working-class neigh-
borhood, fixing up homes and
establishing openly gay businesses.
With the election of Harvey Milk,
acceptance by the wider community
seemed assured. The Milk assassi-
nation and the AIDS epidemic a
decade later fueled the community's
SF's oldest building, having survived
several earthquakes. Note the veg-
etable-dye-painted ceiling with its
Native-American tribal pattern, and
the graveyard, dating from 1830.
While some of the wooden tomb-
stones are no longer legible, reading
the names of early pioneers is stir-
ring. (
Fun fact:
Hitchcock filmed
scenes for
Vertigo
here.)
3321
16th St. (Dolores St.)
y
415/621-
8203. Admission $3, $2 kids. 40-min.
audio tour $5. May-Oct daily
9am-4:30pm; Nov-Apr daily 9am-
4pm. www.missiondolores.org.
@
The Basilica Parish of Mis-
sion Dolores.
This church, com-
pleted in 1918, replaced a former
church destroyed in the 1906 earth-
quake. The coat of arms with the
papal insignia on the altar symbolizes
the church's special status as a “basil-
ica,” so designated in 1952. The
stained-glass windows depict the
city's patron saint, St. Francis of
Assisi, and California's 21 missions.
3321 16th St. (at Dolores St.).
y
415/
621-8203. Daily 8am-noon & 1-4pm.
