Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
3. CASTRO DISTRICT
This hilly neighborhood around Castro Street is the center of San Francisco's high-
profile gay community. The intersection of Castro and 18th streets is the self-pro-
claimed “Gayest Four Corners of the World,” and this openly homosexual nexus
emerged in the 1970s as the place of pilgrimage for gays and lesbians from all over
the country and the world. Unlike other cities, where homosexuals once hid them-
selves away in dark corners of anonymous bars, the establishments here have full
picture windows right on the street and are busy at all hours. Castro Street is closed
off every Hallowe'en for the famous gay costume party and parade that most agree is
one of the city's best, second only perhaps to the Gay Pride Parade (for further details
see
Castro Street Fair
).
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4. TWIN PEAKS
These two hills were first known in Spanish as
El Pecho de la Chola
, or “The Bosom of
the Indian Girl.” At the top, there is an area of parkland with steep and grassy slopes
from which you can enjoy incomparable views of the whole of San Francisco. Twin
Peaks Boulevard circles both hills near their summits, and there is plenty of parking
near the viewing point. If you're up to the climb, take the footpath to the top, above
the main viewing area, to get a 360-degree panorama. The residential districts on the
slopes lower down have curving streets that follow the contours of the hills, rather
than the formal grid pattern that predominates in most of the city (for further details
see
Twin Peaks
)
.
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5. NOE VALLEY
Once a simple working-class neighborhood, the 1970s brought hippies, gays, artists,
and other Bohemian types to its slopes and it soon became an attractive alternative
to other, more established quarters. In its heyday it was known as both “Nowhere
Valley” for its relative remoteness, and as “Granola Valley” for its nature-loving den-
izens. Lately, it has been taken over by middle-class professionals, who value the area
for its orderliness, but 24th Street still hums with activity and is lined with cafés,
bookstores, and the occasional oddball shop.
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