City by the Bay III: Castro and Views from the Golden Gate Bridge
There, where the air is free, we'll be what we want to be...
Now, if we make a stand, we'll find our promised land...
Pet Shop Boys' cover of Village People, Go West (referring to San Francisco*)
Not *too* much this weekend. This was a solo SF run, so I didn't spend as long as I might have with friends. On Saturday, I didn't feel like going to the gym, so since I was in SF anyway, I walked along the Golden Gate Bridge instead. This might have been an adequate workout if I had not kept stopping to take pictures along the way.
Safe to assume that everyone knows what the Bridge looks like by now, so I'll start with the Castro "We Bring Gay Pride 24/7/365" District. For those new to my flist who might be bored and browsing LJ tomorrow (Monday) morning at work, I wrote some flocked thoughts on the Castro in October of 2004.
A flag flies tall above the Castro "The Word Straight Isn't Even In Our Vocabulary" District, at the intersection of Castro and Market. Although located in America, this District is the capital of a different sort of nation.
Flag at Castro/Market intersection
Nor does the Castro "We Put the Fuck Back in Fucking Awesome, Mr. President" District make any secret of where its loyalties lie. As seen in A Different Light bookstore.
Was Debbie Novotny here?
It's a magical kingdom of sprites and faeries...
Flags along Castro Street
The historic Castro Theatre is the primary site for the upcoming San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, the largest queer film festival in the world. This will be the first film festival at which I have volunteered (or even attended).
Castro Theatre
It's not all fun and games in the Castro, however. The Harvey Milk plaza commemorates the life of the first openly gay elected official of any large American city (no surprise that THAT happened in San Francisco). He was assassinated by a homophobic former city supervisor who had opposed the passage of a major gay rights bill. Milk said when he was alive, "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country." Twenty-seven years after his death, that vision has still not been realized, but who knows how many people were able to come out because of his political efforts - or at least find a home in San Francisco.
Harvey Milk Plaza
Black and white banners for the San Francisco AIDS Walk to be held in July fly in stark contrast to the rainbow hues of the Castro.
AIDS Walk
Also, I feel compelled to make a plug for a couple of mainstream businesses that have realized a basic truth: rainbow's got green. Queers are, by and large, better educated and have more disposable income than average, and I applaud the businesses that know how to take a stand based on principle (where principle is defined as "US currency"). I'm not stupid enough to think that any business actually gives a damn about any form of rights (Microsoft illustrated just how erroneous such a thought would be), but it's still comforting when businesses decide it's in their economic advantage to support queers rather than homophobic freaks, here in the Ho-Ho-Homo Capital of the Whole Wide World, as Mr. Brian Kinney might say.
Sprint Store in the Castro
Bank of America (they have two rainbow flags hanging on their door, but it's hard to see them in this picture)
Lastly, a few Golden Gate Bridge related shots.
I'm looking out over that Golden Gate Bridge on another gorgeous sunny Saturday and I'm seeing bumper to bumper traffic...
- Starship, We Built This City
The Golden Gate Bridge does fly an American flag, largely due to the Bush administration. San Francisco would actually fly only rainbow flags throughout the city, were it not for the fact that this would make the City a target of the "War on Terror". As the above pictures demonstrate, there is no greater threat to free people everywhere than the City of San Francisco, as long as you're defining "free people" as "sexually repressed prudes who have never had an orgasm because they have permanent chastity belts attached to their brains, and who want to make sure that no one else ever has an orgasm". There is nothing more scary than innocent, unarmed Iraqis...except for queers and their supporters. Really, it came down to Gavin Newsom not wanting to be sent to Guantanamo Bay. /unnecessary rant
(Alternatively, I choose to look at it as a reminder that there are some places in America still worth living in.)
Flag flies at the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco is also apparently a great place to commit suicide. Disclaimer: if you are considering suicide, you should cease viewing all pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge immediately and contact a mental health professional. Alternatively, you should visit the Golden Gate Bridge and use these nifty little emergency phones they have on the Bridge itself to help people like you. Under no circumstances should you actually jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, and if you have to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, please note that by viewing this post, you have consented not to include a link to this post in your suicide note. Or something like that.
Emergency phone on the Golden Gate Bridge
Walking North on the Bridge, you see Horseshoe Bay, which I believe is in Marin County, but I wouldn't swear to that. In any case, very pretty...
Horseshoe Bay
Walking South on the Bridge, you see none other than the infamous San Francisco. Also very pretty, if you're not tired of the full city shots I keep posting, and posting, and posting...
If you need a caption for this, I'm defriending you.
Last bonus shot of the Bridge from the Bridge. Taken facing South (towards San Francisco).
Golden Gate Bridge
And that's all for now. Sorry that I'm so behind on comments. I will try to catch up...sometime.
* The Village People originally recorded Go West referring to San Francisco, but the Pet Shop Boys' cover refers dually to San Francisco and metaphorically going West to find peace, the latter meaning directed to those living with AIDS.
Now, if we make a stand, we'll find our promised land...
Pet Shop Boys' cover of Village People, Go West (referring to San Francisco*)
Not *too* much this weekend. This was a solo SF run, so I didn't spend as long as I might have with friends. On Saturday, I didn't feel like going to the gym, so since I was in SF anyway, I walked along the Golden Gate Bridge instead. This might have been an adequate workout if I had not kept stopping to take pictures along the way.
Safe to assume that everyone knows what the Bridge looks like by now, so I'll start with the Castro "We Bring Gay Pride 24/7/365" District. For those new to my flist who might be bored and browsing LJ tomorrow (Monday) morning at work, I wrote some flocked thoughts on the Castro in October of 2004.
A flag flies tall above the Castro "The Word Straight Isn't Even In Our Vocabulary" District, at the intersection of Castro and Market. Although located in America, this District is the capital of a different sort of nation.
Flag at Castro/Market intersection
Nor does the Castro "We Put the Fuck Back in Fucking Awesome, Mr. President" District make any secret of where its loyalties lie. As seen in A Different Light bookstore.
Was Debbie Novotny here?
It's a magical kingdom of sprites and faeries...
Flags along Castro Street
The historic Castro Theatre is the primary site for the upcoming San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, the largest queer film festival in the world. This will be the first film festival at which I have volunteered (or even attended).
Castro Theatre
It's not all fun and games in the Castro, however. The Harvey Milk plaza commemorates the life of the first openly gay elected official of any large American city (no surprise that THAT happened in San Francisco). He was assassinated by a homophobic former city supervisor who had opposed the passage of a major gay rights bill. Milk said when he was alive, "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country." Twenty-seven years after his death, that vision has still not been realized, but who knows how many people were able to come out because of his political efforts - or at least find a home in San Francisco.
Harvey Milk Plaza
Black and white banners for the San Francisco AIDS Walk to be held in July fly in stark contrast to the rainbow hues of the Castro.
AIDS Walk
Also, I feel compelled to make a plug for a couple of mainstream businesses that have realized a basic truth: rainbow's got green. Queers are, by and large, better educated and have more disposable income than average, and I applaud the businesses that know how to take a stand based on principle (where principle is defined as "US currency"). I'm not stupid enough to think that any business actually gives a damn about any form of rights (Microsoft illustrated just how erroneous such a thought would be), but it's still comforting when businesses decide it's in their economic advantage to support queers rather than homophobic freaks, here in the Ho-Ho-Homo Capital of the Whole Wide World, as Mr. Brian Kinney might say.
Sprint Store in the Castro
Bank of America (they have two rainbow flags hanging on their door, but it's hard to see them in this picture)
Lastly, a few Golden Gate Bridge related shots.
I'm looking out over that Golden Gate Bridge on another gorgeous sunny Saturday and I'm seeing bumper to bumper traffic...
- Starship, We Built This City
The Golden Gate Bridge does fly an American flag, largely due to the Bush administration. San Francisco would actually fly only rainbow flags throughout the city, were it not for the fact that this would make the City a target of the "War on Terror". As the above pictures demonstrate, there is no greater threat to free people everywhere than the City of San Francisco, as long as you're defining "free people" as "sexually repressed prudes who have never had an orgasm because they have permanent chastity belts attached to their brains, and who want to make sure that no one else ever has an orgasm". There is nothing more scary than innocent, unarmed Iraqis...except for queers and their supporters. Really, it came down to Gavin Newsom not wanting to be sent to Guantanamo Bay. /unnecessary rant
(Alternatively, I choose to look at it as a reminder that there are some places in America still worth living in.)
Flag flies at the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco is also apparently a great place to commit suicide. Disclaimer: if you are considering suicide, you should cease viewing all pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge immediately and contact a mental health professional. Alternatively, you should visit the Golden Gate Bridge and use these nifty little emergency phones they have on the Bridge itself to help people like you. Under no circumstances should you actually jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, and if you have to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, please note that by viewing this post, you have consented not to include a link to this post in your suicide note. Or something like that.
Emergency phone on the Golden Gate Bridge
Walking North on the Bridge, you see Horseshoe Bay, which I believe is in Marin County, but I wouldn't swear to that. In any case, very pretty...
Horseshoe Bay
Walking South on the Bridge, you see none other than the infamous San Francisco. Also very pretty, if you're not tired of the full city shots I keep posting, and posting, and posting...
If you need a caption for this, I'm defriending you.
Last bonus shot of the Bridge from the Bridge. Taken facing South (towards San Francisco).
Golden Gate Bridge
And that's all for now. Sorry that I'm so behind on comments. I will try to catch up...sometime.
* The Village People originally recorded Go West referring to San Francisco, but the Pet Shop Boys' cover refers dually to San Francisco and metaphorically going West to find peace, the latter meaning directed to those living with AIDS.