San Francisco

The days between the end of summer and the start of fall have long been a time for the quick weekend getaway. Sort of a marker for the transition from flip-flop shoes to pullover sweaters. San Francisco, with its usually excellent late-September/early October weather, is a perfect choice for sunny days and cool evenings.

Your wallet will also appreciate the visit. Although San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the country for residents, visitors can get away for cheap if they want. Mass transportation makes getting around easy and fun if you jump on the cable cars downtown and at Fisherman's Wharf. Because of the great ethnic diversity of the city, inexpensive restaurants are scattered throughout. For lodging, there are a multitude of small hotels, many in gay popular neighborhoods such as Castro, Hayes Valley, the Haight and the Mission District. Check sftravel.com/gaybb.html, or san-francisco-hotel-directory.com for listings starting as low as $89 a night.

Castro District – Around Castro and 18th streets. Gay Mecca. Dotted in between more than 18 bars are bustling, cruisey shops for everything from
rainbow collectables to fashion to groceries to home décor to you name it.

Polk Gulch – Polk St. between Sacramento St. toward the Civic Center. Not as polished as the Castro, but possibly more interesting with more ethnic diversity, drag queens, club kids and slumming urbanites.

Dolores Park - between 18th and 20th streets. Dubbed “Dolores Beach” by locals because there is lots of flesh displayed on sunny days There are also
tennis courts, basketball courts and a soccer field for those sporty gays.

Baker Beach - at the base of the Seacliff neighborhood. Clothing optional and gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Nothing else needed except a blanket and packed lunch.

The National AIDS Memorial Grove - Golden Gate Park
Seven acres set aside for contemplation, remembrance, grieving and hoping.

The Charles Holmes LGBT Center - 1800 Market St. The Center offers many types of outreach, activities and programs for youth.

Harvey Milk Plaza - in front of the Castro and Market Muni station. Dedicated to the slain civil rights leader and county supervisor. A plaque gives a thumbnail history of Milk's career in the city.

Get your fun on at SF’s Folsom Billed as the world's largest leather event, the Folsom Street Fair celebrates its 22nd birthday on Sunday, Sept.. 25. The fair is also officially listed as the third largest public event in California, right after the Rose Bowl Parade and San Francisco Pride. Around 300,000 locals and visitors from all over the globe congregate in the South of Market district on Folsom Street between 7th and 12th
streets. And what an interesting congregation.
People strut around in their most outrageous leather, rubber, and/ or fetish attire. Some wear nothing at all and bare cock is king of the walk.
Few cities allow their citizens to stroll naked and get frisky with private parts in broad daylight, but few cities are San Francisco. But, it is not all just wanton hedonism that could cause the so-called
Moral Majority to have a well-deserved collective stroke. The fair is at its core a fund-raising event. Last year more than $265,000 was given
to local charities and organizations.
This year's list includes the AIDS Emergency Fund, the Breast Cancer
Emergency Fund, the Quan Yin Healing Arts Center, Positive Resource
Center, PAWS and the GLBT Historical Society.
If you are in town that weekend, throw on your leather jock, put the muzzle on the BF and go mingle among the masses enjoying food,
entertainment, retail booths and, most of all, each other. Literally.

All photos this page by FredAlertPhoto.com