Lodging

Inn on Castro caters mainly to a chiefly gay clientele.

On Sunday, June 28 San Francisco celebrated its annual Pride parade. The city’s gay population and their supporters came out (not pun intended) en masse to celebrate at parties in various locations around the city, but no place more than in the Castro district.

It occurred to me that in the 10 months I’ve contributed to this blog, I hadn’t covered any place in the Castro. Time to change that.

Inn on Castro is a restored Edwardian building one-half block up Castro Street from Market Street. Eight rooms on three floors are available at the inn, and for larger parties, three spacious and well-appointed apartments are located nearby.

Innkeeper Jan de Gier has owned the Inn on Castro for 26 years. He gave me a tour of the inn decorated with modern furnishings, original art, and fresh flowers. Most rooms have mini fridges stocked with water and soda, all have robes, flat-screen tvs, DVD players, and free wi-fi. The patio suite has a relaxing, well-tended outdoor garden with a view. A full breakfast is served daily. One sweet touch is that the extensive collection of napkins and fine china are rotated daily as well.

The living room in the Douglass St. apartment.

Jan also took me across Market Street to his other properties on Douglass and Caselli sts. Apartments are located in residential areas, off of the main hub of the Castro.

As we drove around the Castro, Jan pointed out some of his favorite spots including Toad Hall, Trigger, Sumi Sushi, Anchor Oyster Bar, and the fabulous piano bar Martuni’s.

An informed innkeeper with a passion for where he or she lives is a true treasure. Jan de Gier is one such person.

We hit it off well, chatting about architecture, food, art, death, relationships, and philosopy.  When he found out I’d never been there, he insisted on taking me to Kite Hill Open Space, which it turns out is not a good place to fly a kite (”too windy, It actually has a down draft”) but was named for the small birds of prey called kites that occupy the hill most of the year.

It was breathtaking. A view of the city I’d never seen in the 19 years I’ve lived here. With the Castro in the forefront, its gynormous rainbow flag flapping in the wind, and the bay receding behind City Hall and the downtown skyline, it was impossible not to feel Pride. Thanks, Jan.

Inn on Castro, 321 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114; 415.861.0321

Photos by Lisa Dion

Affordable lodging near the Haight.

Alcatraz and Pier 39 aren’t for everyone.

If you’re a budget traveler who prefers to blend in and immerse yourself into the character of a city, check out the Metro Hotel for great value and a glimpse into “real” San Francisco.

This is affordable, no-frills lodging in NoPa (North Panhandle), a hip, emerging neighborhood with a paucity of tourists in white tennis shoes and matching sweatshirts.

Unlike Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf, there are relatively few hotels in this centrally-located area, but instead you’ll find San Franciscans of all stripes hanging out in cool bars and hipster cafes, pushing strollers or riding bikes along streets lined with picturesque Victorians.

East of Golden Gate Park, the location is close to the Panhandle (a narrow expanse of green that flows into GGPark popular with runners, nannies and dog walkers), the Haight, Hayes Valley, and the Castro.

The famed “painted ladies,” a row of picture-perfect Victorians across from Alamo Square, are close by, as well as some of San Francisco’s acclaimed restaurants including Nopa, Bar Jules, Absinthe and Suppenkuche.

Within a block or two from the Metro, you’ll find cheap eats in a huge diversity of cuisines, a comic book store, yoga studio and specialty food stores.

The Independent, a nightclub down the street is one of the best places in the city to see alternative music.

A secluded garden behind the Metro Hotel.

The downside? Well, you get what you pay for. Rooms are small (the front ones are also noisy), amenities are barebones, and the floors slope in spots.

But the staff is super friendly, rooms are clean and all have private baths, and the hotel embraces their “green” philosophy tenaciously. The hotel is undergoing renovations and an update. There is also a lovely enclosed back garden, (smokers needn’t feel like criminals), and the stylish Metro Kathmandu next door serving Nepalese cuisine.

Rooms range from $76 to $130; with the largest room sleeping six in two separate sleeping areas.

Photos by Lisa Dion