After several months of being out of service, much to the chagrin of countless weary Muni Metro passengers, the escalator at the Church Street Muni Station near the intersection of 14th and Church is back in service, in all its shiny, new glory. We're not sure exactly when the plywood barricades were removed to reveal this new mechanical wonder, but the moving steps still smelled new when lazy in-a-hurry SFist utilized them this afternoon. more ›

(By D. Hanousek) What's sexier than a good-looking, stylish gay with great hair walking down Castro pushing a stroller? I actually don't feel qualified to answer, but my gay BFF banks on this notion every chance he can get. As the most prevalent adult in my children's lives, what Charlie (the gay in question) does with my kids when he's gracious enough to babysit (as long as he's not exposing them to sex, drugs, or Divisadero dive bars) is entirely up to him. So yeah. I let my gay BFF cruise the Castro with my kids. more ›

Did you know the new Dolores Park playground is open? Aye. And you simply must drag your snot-covered little blessing(s) to the city's favorite park to check it out. It's got everything: slides, sand, rubber safety thingamajigs, poles, a bridge, swings, and... ok, not everything. But still, it's got all you and your kids will need for a smashing day at Dolores Park. Get it while it's fresh, new, and not desecrated with PBR and fornication. more ›

Hundreds gathered in San Francisco's Castro district on Friday to perform Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" in remembrance of the deceased singer. (Which is to say, people performed a flash mob.) This dance came on the heels of a report released from the LA County Coroner confirming that Houston died from accidental drowning, adding that "heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors to Whitney's demise." more ›

Formerly bespectacled Rachel Maddow loves riding Muni, the MSNBC host told Vanity Fair. She's a big fan of taking the J-Church up to "the top corner of Dolores Park" (a.k.a. "the fruit shelf," where the gays converge because it's arguably the nicest area in the park) and admiring the view. more ›

Here's an unwelcome bit of news out of the Castro gay-bar scene: There have been a string of incidents recently involving gay men getting rufied, led back woozily to their homes by crooks posing as potential tricks, and then robbed of their belongings. In one instance, a victim was assaulted after he had been vomiting in his bathroom, and when the thief demanded his computer password, the victim fled to a neighbor's home for help. more ›

Robert Blitzer, 66, and his husband, Xenry, 63, were sitting in the Castro Plaza on March 11, doing what every honorable, Goddess-fearing San Franciscan should be doing on a warm weekend day of leisure: smoking weed. That is, until the fuzz killed the party. According to the BAR, "San Francisco Police Officer Matt Loya asked them if what they were smoking was tobacco, and Blitzer responded that it was marijuana. He said that Loya checked their medical marijuana ID cards and their drivers' licenses and spent half an hour with them." more ›

A blaze at a three-story residential building at 2148 Market Street early Sunday morning has closed the popular Joe's Barbershop, and caused damage to the building. The fire was under control within a half hour, by around 4 a.m. yesterday, and it is not yet clear whether residents were displaced. (Or was that really 5 a.m.? Had the firefighters all set their watches ahead?) more ›

San Francisco announced the 20 recipients of the upcoming Rainbow Honor Walk installation — think Hollywood Walk of Fame, only vastly more important — last year. The installation wil stretch from the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy on 19th Street at Diamond down to Castro, continuing up to Market and along 18th Street and over near the LGBT Center at Octavia Boulevard. But they need someone to create a superb design to compliment the honor and people it commemorate. Might that someone be you? more ›

Staying sober in the Castro is like trying to stay sober in the Castro. It's quite trying, what with all of the bars and dealers within hinged-wrist's length. Enter the Castro Country Club, a tiny clubhouse, if you will, located on 18th Street that allows sober addicts to socialize comfortably within a queer space without getting ripped to the tits. The building housing the space was sold this week. So, does the club once again stand in a state of peril? Not likely. more ›

Neighborhood-specific Occupy protests are happening simultaneously today in four 'hoods around the city which organizers say have experienced the highest rates of "eviction for profit." 99-percenters are being called to gather in the following locations, starting at 11 a.m. in the Bayview, noon in the Castro, 1 p.m. in the Mission, and 2 p.m. in the 'Loin, followed by a "mass march" at 3 p.m. from Justin Herman Plaza. more ›

Employing "reclaimed" buzzword gobbledygook as a selling point, Starbucks wants to put another damn spore in the Castro, a few blocks away from the bear-frequented Starbucks at 18th and Castro. With takeover plans zeroed in at 2201 Market (at 15th Street), here's what the coffee mammoth would like to do: more ›

Sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning, someone stole the Harvey Milk plaque just outside the Castro Street Muni station. SFist talked to District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener who told us, "All of the sudden it wasn't there anymore." Making it more remarkable, the plaque (which dates back to the '90s) was "bolted in cement." The brazen act of thievery might also provide his district with an "opportunity to redo the overall area...possibly with some public artwork." more ›

This year's Castro Street Fair poster features a cartoon unicorn, blue skies, and rainbows. However, the original poster had a unicorn sporting a penis and testicles. Delightful! It has since been censored. Alas. But now, for your mildly NSF-ish viewing pleasure, we present to you the uncensored version of the poster. more ›

On Saturday in the city's Castro arrondissement, a smattering of residents attended a nude-in in response to Supervisor Scott Wiener's cover-up legislation. And, let's be frank, the protest, while titillating, made little to no sense. Wiener isn't anti-nudity; he's anti-poop. He doesn't want to see or, worse, smell your skidmarks on a public chair or bench. And neither should you. Do you like poop? You shouldn't. It's disgusting. Yes, it is. And at the very least, don't you expect your civic leaders to shun shit? To eschew poo? The answer is yes. Yes, you do. Otherwise, you're a major poop lover. And that's icky, you doo-doo lover. more ›

A group of local exhibitionists and public nudists is planning to flood the (ahem) buff stop on Castro Commons Plaza with their surely exemplary specimens of the male form this Saturday at Noon. Although the naked event may seem to be crossing swords with the recent Wiener butt legislation, it was actually planned to coincide with the annual plein air fetish fest at the Folsom Street Fair this Sunday. So, basically, the naked guys will be doing more of less what they always do, except there may be more of them. more ›

Castro activists Michael Petrelis and Bill Wilson have won at least one battle with the neighborhood merchants group over the iconic rainbow flag flying over Harvey Milk Plaza. As you will recall, controversy over the flag flapped again last week when the Merchants of Upper Market/Castro hadn't made a move to arrange for the memorial lowering. Today, the Examiner confirms that the flag will be flying at half-mast all day Sunday. The occasion is only the sixth time MUMC has agreed to do so since the flag was installed in 1997. more ›

During today's Board of Supervisors meeting, District 8 Supervisor Scot Wiener will unsheathe new legislation about public nudity in San Francisco. Wiener represents the Castro, which has seen an uptick in nakedness as of late. Sanitary issues surrounding clothing optional ilk have made some residents worry that they're leaving more than just a jarring impression. If you catch our drift. more ›

More controversy brewing over the Castro's iconic rainbow flag at Harvey Milk Plaza this week as local activists push for a September 11th memorial for Mark Bingham. Bingham, you may recall, is remembered as a prominent LGBT community member and one of the passengers who died that day on United Flight 93 originally headed from Newark airport to SFO. The flag has been the subject of some disputes in the past few months as the Merchants of Upper Market/Castro group that currently controls it have been reluctant to use it as a memorial symbol. more ›

Authorities released the name of the 23-year-old woman struck and killed by a Muni bus on Friday afternoon. San Franciscan Emily Dunn was at the end of the crosswalk at the intersection of 18th and Hartford streets at around at 2:30 p.m. "when a bus that was making a left turn struck her." more ›

A woman was struck and killed by a Muni shuttle in Castro District this afternoon. According to reports "Police say the woman was at the corner of 18th and Hartford when she was hit by the 33 shuttle bus. They are currently at the scene of the accident." Expect transit delays. more ›

Slammed by noted activist and blogger Michael Petrelis as "a pathetic Sisters event more interested in being full of Kumbaya feelings and promoting two lame politicians," Saturday's Stop the Violence campaign, sparked by recent gay bashing incidents in the Castro, allegedly turned into more of a Dennis Herrera-for-Mayor-ish rally than an urgent call for action. Or not. more ›

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, along with Castro Community on Patrol and the Triangle Martial Arts Association, have scheduled a march for tomorrow, Saturday August 13th, to speak out against recent hate crimes in the Castro neighborhood. The march will start from Jane Warner Plaza at Castro and Market Streets at 3 p.m. From there, the group will move on to the site of last weekend's attack on a 52-year-old Santa Cruz man at Market and Sanchez before heading on to Blue Restaurant on Market Street where one of the Sisters was alsoattacked this week. The march to take back the neighborhood will end at Castro and 18th Streets. more ›

On Saturday night, three white males described as being in their "mid-teens" attacked a 52-year-old Santa Barbara man with a baseball bat near Market and Sanchez in the Duboce Triangle. The teens, who yelled homophobic slurs at the victim during the attack, fled with the man's keys and had not been found as of Monday evening. more ›

On Sunday, July 31, a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence was assaulted and called a "faggot" during an early morning attack in the Castro district. The incident happened at around 2 a.m. According to the Bay Area Reporter, this is how the alleged hate crime went down. more ›

Yes, we've all reached a saturation point with all things bacon -- don't even get us started on this season's Big Brother -- except for its taste. It still tastes remarkable. It just does. So, food trend writing be damned, we feel it out duty to tell you that Bacon Bacon will serve lunch in the Castro today. more ›