Naturally, the Beat Poets liked to drink and hang out. There’s a scattering of leather and kink shops to keep you entertained as well, and some of the best drag in the city can be found at Oasis, a venue opened by drag legend Heklina. In fact, they maybe among your fellow patrons, at least when off duty. Today, SF cops are very much on our side. Those neighborhoods were the main cruising grounds back in the dark days when you could get arrested just for cruising an undercover cop, and they still retain a hint of the look and feel of those days, san undercover cops of course. But if you’re in the mood for a hint of the San Francisco that once was, have your driver take you to the South of Market Area, Polk Street or the Tenderloin. Of course, Castro is your go-to-spot for nightspots, with more than a dozen alone. No matter what night of the week you drop in, you’re sure to find no shortage of flirting, dancing, drinking, and conversations that spill onto the Castro Street sidewalk. Among the most famous: Q Bar, the sceney mainstay of the Castro that’s gone through multiple name change but always seems to remain the same style of bar. The cool gray city of love boasts a storied gay bar past.
