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

The elegant Victorian buildings that make up Inn 1890 in San Francisco.

They don’t advertise. There isn’t even a sign.

I must have walked by the elegant Queen Anne Victorian on the corner of Page and Shrader streets hundreds of times on my way to the Haight.

It stood out to me only because of the gynormous geranium bush, easily the largest I’ve ever seen, that completely enveloped the steps to the side entrance.

It wasn’t until a friend who lives in the ‘hood told me that his family stays at Inn 1890 when they visit from Ireland.

Turns out the stately white building is an unassuming Bed & Breakfast inn that blends seamlessly into the residential Panhandle neighborhood of Edwardian and Victorian homes, just a block from Golden Gate Park.

Innkeeper Steve gave me a tour of some of the 17 rooms, the 24-hour kitchen and the peaceful garden. Many of the guests are short-term lodgers, relatives of patients at nearby UCSF. Others have heard of the Inn from locals and through word-of-mouth.

Inn 1890 has a homey vibe, with cheerful yellow walls and lots of windows. All but two of the unique rooms have private baths, two are suites, and almost all have refrigerators and microwaves. Many have kitchenettes. Period details abound, and some rooms have working fireplaces.

I was a little put off by a old, musty smell in a couple of the rooms, but I guess that goes with the territory in a house that was built in 1890…

A relaxing garden.

Classical music played in the sunny, well-stocked kitchen where guests are invited to make meals or tea any time of day.

The owners live in an adjacent property on Shrader St. that houses a few more rooms including the “cottage” as well as a one-bedroom apartment that rents out by the month.

Prices are exceptionally reasonable — $99 to $179 per night. Parking is an additonal $10 (and worth it).

Amenities include, free Wi-Fi, computer and printer, free in-room phone service, robes and slippers, queen-sized beds and down comforters.

Steve and the staff put out a large spread of breakfast items and goodies — fresh fruit, quiche, assorted cheeses, breads, muffins, cakes, and “always pie” — throughout the day.

It really feels like coming home. If your idea of home is a beautiful Victorian in San Francisco.