This month's Out Traveler includes a short-but-sweet 2-page interview with Armistead Maupin. Relevant to this blog is a section of the interview called "Maupin's San Francisco Treats" where he gives his favorite attractions and restaurants. Unfortunately this side-bar is not included in the online version, but two out of the four restaurants he lists are Castro eateries.
Burgermeister (138 Church Street) "They have these incredible burgers made with beef from the organic farms north of the city. You can really taste the difference."
Firewood (4248 18th Street) "Serves really excellent Italian-style thin crust pizza, which allows you to get the pizza sensation without gorging yourself. You can get seats at the window where you can see the parade go by. You can cruise and eat at the same time."
I found this interesting because neither of the Castro restaurants he lists is what you would call high-end, or even mid-range. Neither of them even has table service!
I mean, they are both nice enough places to eat, but this underlines that the Castro has a big hole in the market when it comes to gourmet restaurants. Maupin had to head all the way to the Embarcadero (Slanted Door) and over the hill to Cole Valley (Zazie) to find restaurants where you don't fish your own silverware out of a bin! Not good.
Last year I noted that the Chronicle's top 100 Bay Area restaurants only included two Castro shops (Mecca and Chow), and things don't look good for a better showing this year. Is it that the market won't support really good, high-end restaurants? Or are the rents too high to allow anything other than the tried-and-true, high-volume place to survive? Or are we (hopefully) just at the beginning of nurturing a gourmet market in the neighborhood?
On a tangentially related note, Maupin is a Castro resident who described the 'hood in a 2006 Advocate interview this way:
Advocate: You've lived in the Castro for more than three decades. What is different about the neighborhood to you today?
Maupin: That's so hard to answer. But it's remarkably the same. . . . There are still cute young guys in jeans walking around. There are plenty of older guys like me. (Laughs.)
This quote isn't about businesses, per se, but I think it sums up well the mixed feelings that many people (including myself) have about our little Gayberry. In some ways it's like we're caught in an eternal adolescence, obsessed with sex, alcohol, and pizza. But at the same time, we're an aging neighborhood with an aging population, and we seem a little contented, and we prefer it when things stay the same and undisturbed.But it's still pretty much "Gayberry RFD." That's maybe a simple answer. But I will say that the drugs are much more ferocious then they used to be. There are people wrecking their lives with addiction, which seems much more severe. I've always had a love-hate relationship with the Castro. But I am in there every other day because I like the sense of community it provides. But once a place like that liberates you, you need to take it to the rest of the world. You need to be an ambassador.
At some point the neighborhood has to decide whether it wants to remain a relevant destination with a thriving business district which draws people from around the globe, as well as from around the city. Or are we content to atrophy away until only the porn and nail salons are left?
Last week's Bay Area Reporter included my February "Business Briefs" column, which was (vaguely) Valentine's Day-themed. The topics included were:
- PartnerForLife.com, the new dating site for gay men focusing on long-term relationships, which can of course mean vastly different things for different people;
- GayCities.com, a new site which is aiming to be the definitive site for gay/lesbian travel information;
- Under One Roof's upcoming move across the street to the space currently occupied by ....
- Planetweavers, which is closing after 17 years in this spot (such a heartbreaker!);
- Harvey's's (is that NYT stylebook-approved?) new manager and new slate of entertainment; and
- Updates on two newly opened restaurants, Brandy Ho's and Thick & Thin.
Per usual, the column is available online (link provided above). Enjoy!
The SF Bear's International Bear Rendezvous weekend starts today, so don't be alarmed if you find a bear with his paw in your honey. He means no harm.
As in previous years, stores have begun putting out bear decorations, including the awesome and completely unnecessary "Bears Welcome" signs. However I haven't seen the big bar banners out yet, and generally there seems to be less visible activity than in previous years. I wonder if this has something to do with a) the final filming of the Milk movie, b) the rain/cold/construction putting a general damper on the neighborhood, and/or c) the sucky economy which is apparently dragging everyone down.
And visiting bears are encouraged to check out my "Bear's Guide to the Castro" produced last year. The only update is that Bullshead has closed down. We don't really have any more carnivore-themed restaurants in the area, but for a good quantity-to-price ratio, try The Sausage Factory at 517 Castro. The antipasto salad "baby" size is already too big for 2 people, so the "mama" size is a revelation at $12.25. You must like lots of cheese though, and all of the Italian meat is on the bottom (where it should be).
In quick succession, three businesses within shade-throwing distance of 18th and Castro have announced that they are calling it quits.
First, Planetweavers at 518 Castro is calling it quits after 17 years at this location. Details are coming in my "Business Briefs" column in tomorrow's (Feb. 14) Bay Area Reporter, but Under One Roof will be moving into Planetweavers' old space after this month.
It seems that Planetweavers' business went south after 9/11 and never recovered. The owner, Andreas Blachian, even went so far as to close his other store located in the Haight, hoping to consolidate his business in the Castro center. It didn't work.
When I asked him what the city could do to help small business owners (a question I ask of every small-bizinatrix that I speak with) he said that he felt the problem had more to do with the neighborhood itself. He wonders if the Castro is welcoming enough to people outside of the gay community, and whether straight shoppers and diners feel unwelcomed when they set foot in the 'hood. He notes that only about 1 or 2% of his Haight customers moved their business over to the Castro store, so something must have kept them away. It was interesting to hear that opinion, when I usually hearing people moaning about the Castro becoming less gay.
I'll post a link to the article after it is posted tomorrow.
Second, Castro Video has posted a letter announcing its upcoming closure in March. Castro Video has Planetweaver beat in the longevity department, apparently lending out its extensive collection of soft-core gay videos (really, did you have any idea that they made so many porn-lite videos, even today?) for over 20 years now.
It's sad to see this place go. This was always my preferred rental spot, specifically because of its extensive collection of soft-core gay videos. Just kidding! They had a great two-nights-for-one policy, and generally I liked the small-biz vibe here.
Finally, Ararat, the restaurant at 4072 18th Street, up on the second floor, is closing this week. Saturday night is their final night.
They hosted a thank-you party for the local community on Tuesday, and I got a chance to chat with the owner for a bit. It seems that business has been tough in that location for a while, and now the owner is looking to try again with a different restaurant somewhere else in the Castro. The second-floor location has to be a difficult factor, but having an empty storefront across the street plus Brandy Ho's construction going on so long didn't help, I'm sure.
The irony for me is that we just discovered Ararat a few months ago, and had started telling people how much we liked it, and how it was such an "undiscovered treasure" in the middle of the Castro. Well, we didn't tell enough people apparently, and the treasure was a little too undiscovered.
So long to all three businesses. For our struggling neighborhood business scene, this was a rough one-two-three punch. Good luck to all three business owners as they move on to their next ventures.
This week the production of Milk, Gus Van Sant's biofilm about Harvey Milk (you may have heard about it) moved north a block toward Market Street. The first of the march scenes was filmed tonight (February 4) and they'll be closing up the street again this Friday to wrap it up. (For a copy of the funny clothing guidelines for march extras, head over to this post on Towleroad. In case you were going to pull out your Disco Stu costume, think again!)
Down toward 19th Street, the location of Given which had been transformed into Milk's old Castro Camera has begun its return to the 21st century. The outside signs have come down, and the interior has begun to be disassembled.
In the window they've displayed a photo of the original store interior which they apparently used to guide the set dressing. The Gaycities.com travel blog has a great shot of the photo propped up against the set during the construction, and this really shows how the crew was shooting for historical accuracy. Now the photo is in the window and easier to inspect closely.
Across the street, Swirl is already back to normal and open for business (although the old sign is still up). It's actually stunning how quickly they were able to transform this place with shelving, moved walls, exterior work, etc. and then just as quickly put it back to normal. As someone who has struggled through a monster renovation which has overtaken our lives completely for the last 4 years of our lives, I'm actually incredibly bitter about this, but I'm trying to work through this. My partner also reminds me that the Swirl renovation was all for show and wouldn't pass code, but still, I want my shower back!
The newly-opened Lisa's Hair Design has lost its awning and has been made over into Alda Yarn. Nothing says the 70's like knit vests.
Quickly, the bubble-tea purveyor made infamous by our dearly-departed supervisor Ed Jew, is made up as a real estate agent's office. If you want to be depressed, go check out the posted listings closely.
Also on that side of the street, The Bead Store had its awning taken down, but is otherwise unchanged. I guess it has retained enough of its woo-woo, 70's, earth-mother styling that it fit into the movie just fine. Likewise, Twin Peaks looks untouched since the 70's -- and coincidentally the same thing could be said about many of its customers. (Hey-oh! These are the jokes people! I'll be here all week!)
Finally, this isn't a business, but the Muni stop has been shielded by wooden structures. I guess it would be hard to explain the presence of a "Harvey Milk Plaza" in the background of the movie. It would kind of give away the ending.
I called the paint job gaudy and garish before, but I have to admit that it looks pretty nice now that it's done. Thanks Gus!
(Go ahead to the next paragraph if you don't want to hear a little horn-tooting...)
So I'm pleased to say that my last entry about the changed storefronts for the Milk movie received a bit of attention around the intertubes. I received linked coverage from a number of blogs, including:
- Towleroad: Milk: The Transformation of Castro Street
- Boing Boing: Castro Street transformed for Harvey Milk movie
- Curbed SF: MilkWatch: Time Warp in the Castro
- SFist: More, More, More: Milk's Castro in the 70's
- SF Weekly's The Snitch: Milk Production: Back In Time On Castro
- Valleywag
If you found me via one of these links, welcome!
And just so this post isn't completely content-free, here are some more links to articles covering the Castro transformation:
- Bay Area Reporter: Castro merchants bank on movie magic
- I'm just saying' ...: Retro-fitting
- Gaycities.com: MILK: Sean Penn & Emile Hirsch (with photos of the actors in costume!)
- Flick'r groups: Milk: Castro vintage makeover
- San Francisco Chronicle: Picturing Harvey Milk: Filming of movie evokes memories, emotions in the Castro
This last article in particular has lots of interesting details about the filming. From the point of view of the businesses in particular, the article underscores how the movie is set at the moment when the Castro reaches its tipping point from a working-class background to its rebirth as a gay Mecca. The article quotes a production assistant coaching an extra by saying, "It's a good old Irish neighborhood, and now it's changing." The friction between old and new businesses mirrors the friction between old and new residents, and eventually the business conflicts give birth to the Castro Street Fair and Harvey's political life.
As much as I roll my eyes at the porn stores and bar culture, I'm still amazed to think about the history that these overtly gay establishments represent. And for not-a-small-number of our yearly visitors, seeing these gay-themed businesses out and open and happy and tacky is a wonderful revelation, and a reaffirmation of Harvey Milk's triumph and his legacy.
