First Impressions of the Castro

Even though I am new to the Bay area I have enough knowledge of San Francisco to draw my own conclusions of the existing neighborhoods. Therefore, I began my investigation of the Castro with preconceived notions of what I expected to find. Some of my presumptions were correct and some were obviously incorrect. I was under the impression that I would be submerged in an upper middle class neighborhood full of gay men and to no surprise, I was. My assumptions about the cleanliness and safety were also correct. As soon as I stepped out of my car and headed to the heart of the Castro I noticed that everything seemed to sparkle and shine a little more than other parts of the city. The picture above captures the real estate of the nieghborhood. According to one source the house above sold for $1.6 million.

On the other hand, I didn’t expect to hear from a local gay man that the Castro was “almost too gay.” I also didn’t expect I would be fortunate enough to meet such interesting people on my first visit. One of my first interviewees was a fascinating woman who has lived in the Castro for 42-years. From her I learned the history of the Castro, her personal experience living there and her opinions about the neighborhood. She ended up being a wonderful story teller which made my experience that much more enjoyable.I am happy to say that I am excited to return to the Castro to peruse the squeaky clean streets and to interview more wonderful people.