This morning we packed first, checked out of the Griffon Hotel and left the luggage in storage, before we departed for Castro, one of the first gay neighborhoods in the U.S. The large and active LGBT community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) started to develop when the U.S. military dishonorably discharged thousands of gay servicemen during World War II. In the late 1960s the neighborhood became the gay mecca, simultanously with the neighboring Haight-Ashbury district becoming "hippie heaven". When the Haight became drug ridden and violent,the gay population moved over to Castro, which was named after the landmark theater (see pic), dating in 1922, at the corner of Castro and Market Streets.
Starting in 1973 Harvey Milk, became one of the icons and prominent leaders of the gay movement, he was murdered in Nov. 1978. Nowadays the neighborhood is much more mixed, young couples moved into the neighborhood, but there are still enough old relicts like the Orphan Andy's (open 24 hours), the Twin Peaks Bar or Cliff's Variety (Hardware) Store - where we bought ducktape, just in case... Perfect, to get more background and information about the neighborhood is the GLBT Historic Museum (see left pic below).
By streetcar we reached SoMa then, checked out the SoMa Streetfood Park (a conglomeration of food trucks) and walked southeast, to Mission Bay, where in the old days banana boats landed and where still old warehouses dominate. Partly they are already renovated and either transformed into fancy office buildings, e.g. of Adobe or Zynga, or into fancy lofts. Muji and Kartell shops, Trader Joe's and other fancy stores and restaurants opened - one more sign that the area is about to become a new favorite address. Since SoMa is getting crowded, people move on southward.
We had lunch in one of the new restaurants there, a japanese place by name "Okane", small and unpretentious, sleek and modern. It specializes in izakaya (more traditional Japanese fare, prepared in new creative ways) and sushi (they have their own sushi chef, see pic). We enjoyed a several-course tasting menu of predominantly fish - on the keft picture there is the smoked/cured halibut and one of the popular, modestly priced Bento boxes - and besides getting another great meal (though we are not that good in eating with chopsticks) we were glad to get out of the rain for a little while.
Afterwards we revisited the AT&T Ballpark, Home of the Giants, baseball World Series Champs 2010, 2012 and 2014, (and, of course, the Giants shop) with a statue of famous player Willie Mays in front (pic). Thanks to its location in China Basin, on the waterfront with an adjacent marina (see pic), the ballpark is one of the most spectacular ones in the U.S.A.
Slowly, we started our way back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and bring it to the next BART (subway) station on Market Street. The train (which costs not quite $ 9) took a good half hour to the airport, but there we had to find our way and wait for the hotel shuttle to the Best Western Plus Grosvenor. After two hours in total, we moved into our room in the 9th floor, with a view towards the bay, and, with a little fantasy, also, towards the city. With all our luggage the trip wasn't that much fun and we were glad that they had a bath tub.Fortunately we'll get some rest before we have to head back to the airport tomorrow morning at 4 am - provided we get ready with work soon...
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