Four of us joined Kathy Amendola on her historical walking tour of what is surely the gay capital of of the world, in the centre of San Francisco. It was a fascinating insight not only into the history of this quintessentially gay area, but also into the history of San Francisco itself.
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The Gold Rush and how men coped without women – the lavender cowboys and the 'hanky code' (where you wore a hanky and what it meant – this might be more than some of you want to know!)
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the 'summer of love' and the formation of a gay community in the Castro when Harvey Milk and a few others moved in from Haight Ashbury
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Harvey Milk's influence on the business community and election to the position of Supervisor
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the rainbow flags that were first used to line the road when Harvey was taken down to City Hall by the community at the time of his election
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His murder 11 months later and the ongoing development of the Castro area and gay pride.
(Look out for the new movie called Milk, starring Sean Penn)
This tour is not just for gay and lesbian folk – but for anyone interested in a seldom told historical story. You can book on line and then all you have to do is meet at 10am under the rainbow flag (but of course!)
Afterwards a couple of -us enjoyed a clam chowder in the garden bar @ Luna on Castro – don't leave San Francisco without trying the clam chowder at least once
“Power Lesbians” (I took this to mean lesbians in business) meet at the Mecca on Market between Church and Delores on Thursdays between 6-11pm
More Adventures with Rosemary Articles
- Saigon and the End of our Road - December 3rd, 2011
- Cycling in the Mekong Delta - December 3rd, 2011
- Hoi An is more than clothes - December 3rd, 2011
- A new wardrobe and a massage - what more can a girl want? - November 22nd, 2011
- Moto tour of Hue, Vietnam - November 22nd, 2011
dear rosemary, today is september 6 and i am just now catching up on your travels. i have to pause here to comment. i lived in san francisco for 3 years. i had only been there a short time when harvey milk was murdered. i loved san francisco and still have good friends there. your journey is taking me down memory lane. can’t wait to read more.