San Francisco’s Castro for under $50
Exploring the historic, iconic district can be surprisingly cheap
The sun had long set behind the Twin Peaks as I was driven in an Uber past the closed, avant-garde shops of the Haight — where 50 years ago a generation heralded the Age of Aquarius amid sunny afternoons, foggy mornings and the thick smell of pot. But by March 2017, the idealists who made the City by the Bay a haven for those dreaming of building a better society have been replaced by new idealists who dream of a better smartphone app.
And so most of the once-lively streets and districts of central San Francisco had shut down operations by 9:30 p.m. — techies have to be up early to catch the Google Bus.
Most, that is.
Descending Divisadero Street, I finally saw a sign of life — an old-fashioned neon theater marquee (with a flickering ‘R’) emblazoned with the name of a street, a neighborhood, a symbol to millions of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people around the country and the world: Castro.
The Castro may not be as big as Los Angeles’ West Hollywood or Greenwich Village and Chelsea in New York, but as the most open and visible gay community in the country for decades — and not to mention the home of slain gay civil rights hero Harvey Milk — the Castro always holds a special significance for LGBT Americans.
It is for this connection to the community and the variety of experiences available that Alan Tung, a Stockton resident, often drives to San Francisco to visit the Castro.
“It is vibrant,” Tung said. “It feels so good to soak yourself in a city that you feel comfortable with. I might not fit the ‘typical’ gay scene or stereotype but walking around the Castro, seeing people being themselves, and trying different restaurants and bars are definitely the reason I love it. You feel you belong.”
While only comprising a few city blocks, the Castro district of San Francisco is a world unto itself: heavy with the drag queens, leather-clad daddies, jockstrap-wearing go-go dancers, idealistic youth, bitter overly charged renters and seasoned veterans of out-life who for over 40 years have found an abode of welcome and safety there in an often-hostile society.
Bay Area resident Jorge Gonzalez said he goes to connect with his community. “It is a great place to hang out with friends, party all night, and get to know more people from the LGBTQ+ community,” he said.
But while its reputation precedes it, nothing can replace the experience of actually seeing one of the most unique neighborhoods in California if not the world — and, which unlike many other San Francisco locales, can actually be explored rather cheaply.
Here is how to have a fun time in the Castro on a budget of under $50.
The Castro has historically been a place that LGBTQ people could live without much outside interference or judgment.
Gay men and lesbians started moving to the neighborhood — then called the Eureka Valley — en masse in the 1970s. The largely Irish Catholic residents were moving out of San Francisco into the suburbs, causing housing prices in the area to be relatively cheap. Although the neighborhood has gone from one of the cheapest in San Francisco to one of the most expensive — the average apartment is $3,821 a month, according to Rent Jungle — it is still home to almost two-dozen LGBTQ-themed bars and nightclubs, attracting visitors from around the Bay Area and the world.
The Badlands nightclub on 18th Street has been open since 1974, when it opened as a bar with a Western-country theme.
After being bought by millionaire landowner Les Natali in 1999, Badlands was transformed into a nightclub with televisions to show music videos. Offering a mix of Top 40 music and standards from icons like Britney Spears and Donna Summer, Badlands features cheap well drinks, no cover before 10 p.m. (and even the $5 cover afterward is cheap by the standards of almost any gay nightclub), and both a dance floor and benches for conversation.
Tung said that Badlands is a good place to get together with friends. “I will go to Badlands before they start charging cover to just dance and socialize,” Tung said.
The main competitors to Badlands are the nightclubs The Cafe and Beaux, which opened in 2013. Beaux is in the same Market Street location as the first gay bar in Castro, the Missouri Mule. With a steeper cover, a legion of gogo dancers, a more crowded atmosphere, and arguably better music, the relatively-new addition has attracted both praise and criticism. Tung said he migrates to Beaux after Badlands, saying “you get your cover fee worth.”
San Francisco resident Kortlen Conn — who used to work at Outfit Castro adjacent to the iconic theater — said that from what he hears, he thinks the nightclub is “reductive” and some dancers (he said he couldn’t name names) have shown him “narcissism, entitlement, and most definitely rudeness.”
Beaux, nonetheless, continues to have the longest line on any given weekend night and has won Best Gay Dance Club several times from The Niteys. The drag show on Sunday nights and the Latino-themed Wednesday nights are well-attended.
Natali also owns Toad Hall, which is across from Badlands on 18th Street.
A reincarnation of a 1970s bar featured in the movie “Milk,” Toad Hall provides all the amenities one would want in a gay bar: cheap drinks (including a two-for-one happy hour), a backdoor patio for conversation or smoking, and a stage alternatively used for karaoke or dancing — but only for people who are unembarrassed and brave enough to try.
Arrive before 9 p.m. and order two well drinks for between $5 and $9.
The owners of Beaux are a consortium of gay business owners bought other Castro district bars — including the Midnight Sun, The Edge and Q Bar — in order to retain the gay character of the neighborhood as it sees more straight residents moving in. Midnight Sun on 18th Street has the same special as Toad Hall, with the additional feature of being located next to an outlet of the city-wide chain Nizario’s Pizza — where a fat slice of pepperoni pizza will only cost you $4.
And speaking of food, restaurants and eateries are as numerous in the Castro as bars.
Thai Chef restaurant on 18th Street next to the GLBT History Museum offers good, authentic food for less than surrounding Southeast Asian restaurants.
Conn said that he enjoys it for a third reason, too — a “sensibility of class.”
“It’s a place you can eat without sexual dialogue being communicated non-stop,” he said, explaining that “people don’t come here (to the Castro district) for the food.”
Bring that special person in your life for some Pad Thai with your choice of chicken, beef, pork or shrimp for $10.95.
Though it will be more expensive, Tacos Club on Market Street offers the best Mexican food in the community. An $11.30 plate of nachos with your choice of beans and meat would not be regretted, especially if you add a to-go cup of horchata. Meanwhile, located on 17th Street near the intersection of Market and Castro streets and next to the historic Twin Peaks bar — the first gay bar in the United States with open windows — Orphan Andy’s offers the perfect menu for the morning after your night out on the town. A stack of three delicious pancakes only totals $5.95.
For those who can afford a little more than our $50 limit and seek to turn their Saturday night on the town into a Sunday Funday, the cheapest bottomless mimosas in the area are at Cafe Mystique on Castro Street for only $15. Throw in a $12.95 Eggs Benedict and you’ve got yourself a good start to a day at nearby Mission Dolores Park or at Lookout on 16th Street.
