The Castro

The Castro is one of the United States' first and best-known gay neighborhoods. It came of age as a gay center following the Summer of Love in the neighboring Haight-Ashbury district in 1967. It used to be known as Eureka Valley but became known as the Castro after the landmark theatre by that name. The gay village is mostly concentrated on Castro Street from Market Street to 19th Street.

During our visit we walked along Castro and Market Streets while we decided where we might want to to have lunch. We looked at Harvey's but the line was long and it looked like only burgers. We settled at the Sausage Factory for what we all described as the best chicken parmesan we have had. It was thinly tenderized chicken lightly breaded in a very tasty sauce. It was just what we needed to recharge for more San Francisco exploration. We also checked out the sex shop Rock Hard that have every kind of toy or sexual aid you could think of. None of us made any purchases but it was fun to browse.