Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
families. And the culture stuck through time. By World War II, the military
embarked on a campaign to single out and decommission gay guys, and many of
them were processed in San Francisco, where they simply stayed and made lives
rather than go home in shame. This, and many other fascinating facts about a lesser-
examined group of Americans, are scrutinized at the
GLBT Historical Society
5
(657 Mission St., Suite 300, at New Montgomery;
%
415/777
-
5455; www.glbt
history.org; Tues-Sat 1-5pm).
The facility is half a museum with changing exhibi-
tions (a recent one was about gay members of the military) and half archive/read-
ing room for use by folks interested in deeper research on the topic of what has
largely been a shadow group throughout history. The holdings are unpredictable;
every few years, a previously unknown collector of memorabilia will pass on and
boxes of underground information, much of it concerning things thought to have
gone undocumented, will show up on its doorstep. Anyone can visit; it's a gallery
environment and not a meeting place, although some of the artworks on display
are adult in theme. There are also intermittent events, such as reading series and
lectures; these are announced online.
NOB HILL, NORTH BEACH & FINANCIAL DISTRICT
For a city monument that is so beloved,
Grace Cathedral
(1100 California St., at
Taylor;
%
415/749
-
6348; www.gracecathedral.org; suggested donation $5 adults,
$3 children; Sun-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat 8am-6pm),
the third-largest Episcopal cathe-
dral in America, is surprisingly imitative. Its face was designed to recall Paris's
Notre Dame. The front doors are copies of Ghiberti's doors from the Baptistry in
Florence. The cathedral is undoubtedly impressive and beautiful (check out the
gorgeous stained-glass rose window), but in architectural terms, it lives in the
mimicry of European originals. Where Grace really stands out is in the compas-
sion of its congregation, in no finer display than in the Interfaith AIDS Memorial
Chapel that's located to the right as you enter. Two weeks before his own death
from the disease in 1990, pop artist Keith Haring completed a triptych altarpiece
called
The Life of Christ.
The final 600-pound work in bronze and white gold
patina sits in the chapel's place of honor. The church has been respecting and
praying for AIDS victims ever since 1986, back when most people in our govern-
ment were sitting on their hands even while this city was being devastated. A seg-
ment of the famous AIDS Memorial Quilt is displayed above the chapel; it's
rotated on a regular basis with new pieces. The hand-bound book in the glass case
seeks to record the name of everyone ever claimed by AIDS. Other objects worth
checking out include the murals that retell stories of the church's history (includ-
ing its destruction in the 1906 quake), as well as a chunky sculpture of St. Francis
by Benny Bufano, who designed some of the city's most distinctive work. Toward
the Chapel of Grace, toward the back and to the left, check out the life-size cru-
cifix from 1200s Spain that reveals Christ in macabre suffering. Kids usually enjoy
finding their way through the two labyrinths, one in front of the building and one
just inside, which were once used in meditation. There are no walls—just lines in
the ground—so there's no getting claustrophobic.
Next door at the associated
Diocesan House
(1055 Taylor St.),
there's a small
and pleasant sculpture garden as well as, inside, frequently a free exhibition of
photography or art. Tour guides are generally on hand Monday through Friday 1
to 3pm, Saturday 11:30am to 1:30pm, and Sunday 12:30 to 2pm, although
