"The Castro" is a term broadly used to describe the area of San Francisco formerly known as Eureka Valley, and is bordered by Diamond Heights, Noe Valley, the Mission, the Fillmore, and the Haight districts. It has also come to mean more than a locale. Much of the gay and lesbian community of San Francisco lives and works in the Castro. It is known world-wide as the "gay mecca." Home to an ever-changing neighborhood of shops, restaurants, street fairs, and residents, the Castro has continued in its evolution. It is a community and a people rich with history, diversity, tears, and laughter.


Best Time To go
The Castro is bustling all day long, but at night it really comes alive, as the bars from the Mint to the Midnight Sun fill up and the Castro Theatre's neon marquee lights up the main drag. Though the Castro's nightlife doesn't have as much to offer women as many dykes would like, it remains a fairly safe neighborhood after hours, and there are plenty of places where women, queer or not, can feel at home.

Landmarks
No matter what's playing, buy a ticket to see a movie at the Castro Theater (429 Castro St.). Hearing its Mighty Wurlitzer Organ alone is worth the price of admission. Prepare to be amazed at the art-deco, Moorish and otherwise lavish combination of interior designs that is The Castro.

Affiliated with the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, the Metropolitan Community Church San Francisco (150 Eureka St.) is the second-oldest lesbian and gay congregation in the United States. It's a vibrant and progressive community of faith for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in San Francisco, and the building that houses the church also houses many, many other community organizations that support everyone from teens to the homeless.

Smack in the middle of the Castro, Magnet (4122 18th St.) takes a truly holistic approach to gay men's physical, mental and sexual health, but this is no sterile clinic. Yes, you can get anonymous STD and HIV testing, but Magnet also offers counseling, classes, seminars, performance arts and even game nights where gay men can socialize, interact and learn in a judgment-free zone.