Is San Francisco Worth Visiting?

[Like2Hire]

I haven't been in SF for a few years and am wondering if it's worth going out of my way to visit when I'll next be in SoCal. The last couple times I was there, places like Nob Hill Theater and The Campus were bitter disappointments and wastes of money. There were really no places with hot dancers who you could check out and then pick up for a night of fun. I didn't even find that many guys/escorts online who were that exciting, hot college jockboiz being my delight.

 

Am I wrong, or has SF's glitter long ago turned glum??

[+ Axiom2001]

Although the City has slim pickings when it comes to dance club which feature men for hire, just check out "Escort Reviews" and Meetlocalmen.com under San Francisco; you can hire as many "hot" men from these sites who would definitely make your visit worthwhile.

 

Since I don't know your tastes in men (per se)-- I am at a loss in making recommendations! So, hell yes, San Francisco, "everybody's favorite city" is definitely worth a vist anytime!!!

[+ deej]

SF isn't exactly considered "SoCal", for what it's worth. Even here on M4M it's classified "NoCal".

[+ glutes]

No, it is not worth visiting. Being a local, I can testify that the pickings are very slim! There are some dancing boys, So Cal has none. You are better off spending your energies and monies in Montreal or Rio.

 

"That is just my opinion, I could be wrong" Dennis Miller

[Michael]

> SF isn't exactly considered "SoCal", for what it's worth.

 

Which is, no doubt, why Like2Hire referred to "going out of my way to visit when I'll next be in SoCal"

[VaHawk]

>So, hell yes, San Francisco,

>"everybody's favorite city" is definitely worth a vist

>anytime!!!

 

AMEN!! IMO, SF is the best city in the USA anytime, anyhow. Plenty of hot escorts for hire, of all types. But then again, not every place has to be judged in accordance to dance boys/bars, escorts, hustlers and sex, although given the nature of this board that seems to be the criteria of what makes a place great to visit.

 

I much prefer the fog of SF to the smog of LA. Not to mention the culture, the ambience, the transportation system, ease of getting cabs, the weather and less distance between points of interest.

[Trixie]

Seeing as how I live in (well, across from) the City by the Bay, I may be somewhat prejudiced in my thinking... but the only response I can imagine would be, "What a stupid question! Of course it is!"

San Francisco is a city that enchants the mind and soul, as well as the libido. It possesses a quality of depth and poetry that only two other cities in the US can compare to. San Francisco is a legendary destination, but as with most legends, it can be elusive, and frustruating, ever just out of grasp.

Certainly, the bawdy thrills you seem to be seeking are in short supply here. Sex has become merely store-window decoration (see the Folsom St. Fair as an example), a fantasy postcard. And the post-AIDS-symptomatic Castro is busy, busy, busy showing the world what stand up straight, ordinary citzens we gay folk are. And to tell the truth, AIDS did hit hard here, and everyone who has half a brain knows it's only hiding. One cannot citicize, really, the desire in the Castro for a safe and secure life.

The sex shows & theaters may disappoint, but SF is not without it's erotic come-hitherness. You only need to look at http://www.men4rentnow.com (as advertised on this site!) to find some 22 pages of lovely men for every taste. And, those with patience and good hunting skills can almost always track down something tasty on the steep streets of Frisco. It's there, it's just not being served on a silver platter these days.

 

La Trix

[nate_sf]

San Francisco has a lot of good qualities, and seems to be livening up again after having its culture and diversity drained during the dot-com boom, but it seems to me at least that the number of younger people here is less than in other places. It's just so expensive to live here, it's pretty hard to make ends meet without a substantial job. People find a way, but compared to other cities I've visited lately it seems the population here is a bit older and maybe crankier (who me???). That's great for those who like older guys but might be disappointing for finding "hot college jockboiz." At least make sure you get here when school's in session! Maybe that's my skewed impression, but it seems that way to me.

 

Having said all that, there are some fun new clubs popping up... the Stud has some good nights, particularly Wednesdays and Fridays, and it even has a makeshift backroom.

 

San Franciso's current state is something my friends and I talk about a lot, so I'll be interested to see what others think.

[Huey]

I have been thinking about a weekend trip to SF too . Last time I was there (about 4 years ago) I felt let down . There wasn't much happening and actually I left the next day.

 

I do recall parking was a nightmare and the hotels charged hefty parking fees. I believe my hotel charged me about 35. per day just to park.

 

Anyway, this thread has had some interesting comments and I hope others who've been there recently or live there put in their .02 worth .

[bigguyinpasadena]

I lived 10 years in S.F.I was born an hours drive north,amd visited often(family)when I was younger-some of my best friends still live there.

I find that a visit to S.F. is so depressing for me these days that I just don't bother.Aids took a huge bite out of the creative force that drove the city,whatever was left has been further decimated by the outrageous cost of living in San Francisco.

There are still a few worthy museums.The opera CAN be enjoyable(lots of stinkers in the mix-but it is still better tham the LA opera)an ocassional great theatre piece.The scenery is still breathtaking.And there are still hundreds of good looking men.

That being said,it is sooooo depressing for me to witness the decline of this once fabulous city-I actually cry when I see how run down certain parts of town have become.The pencil pushers and the greedy landlords have ruined "the city".We used to have plenty of time and enough extra dough to enjoy the delights before us.Now everyone has to work so hard in order to make just enough to squeeze by on that the time for leisure has dwindled.And sky rocketing rents have forced the interesting merchants(and creative people)out of San Francisco.

As to the bawdy parts-well this is a mere sliver of what was once available.The Nob Hill ,Campus,and the Tea Room,are very iffy-they were once sure things.The powerhouse(or whatever they are calling it these days)can be fun.The prim and proper Guppies on castro-well I just hate all of that,so I dont visit-a pottery barn in the castro?ughhhh.

No my dears,San Francisco has run its course,It now reminds me of a miss Havershim type.A grand matron-still dressed in a beautiful gown,sitting in a decaying,cob web filled room,a mere whisper of the grandness of the past.

There once was acity on a hill....

[Guest Tristan]

I just want to thank the author for posting this topic. The replies raised many interesting issues that not only addressed his question, but also other questions about the state of gay culture in SF.

[Guest jstlooknthx]

Got to agree with Bigguy on this one. I have been visiting SF since the 70's and throughout all it's changes there was still no where else like it. It's always had a unique and vibrant energy for me. A deeper, more in the moment, celebration of a city. More of a European feel.

 

This being said, last year was a sad visit for me. It just felt congested and angry. I never sensed that in SF before. The laid back friendliness and spark was just gone! It felt more like another extension of this every increasing LA sprawl.

[trilingual]

Things HAVE seemed glum in San Francisco. It's always been a city that depends on tourism, and the tourist trade was hit very hard by 9/11. It's slowly been coming back, but so far hasn't approached its former peak. A lot of the energy in the City came from catering to visitors, and without them it's been kind of bleak. Coupled with the dot.com collapse, the loss of many of its home-grown financial institutions to mergers, etc., the City is definitely going through one of its less-than-enchanting phases. Add the usual local political stew, and the never-ending homeless problem, and it's easy to see why a lot of the luster has gone from San Francisco.

 

The gay scene is also feeling kind of tired, for many of the reasons mentioned by other posters. Another reason is that the generation that arrived in the 70s, when S.F. was the happening gay place to be, has aged (like yours truly) and is reaching retirement age. Unfortunately, because of the outrageous housing costs and poor employment market, there isn't a flood of younger gays moving to the City. Furthermore, many of the guys reaching retirement age are cashing in their chips (if they own real estate) and are moving to less expensive places, like Palm Springs, the Russian River, and the Pacific Northwest. The City has experienced a net population outflow in the past few years, and a significant part of that, I'm sure, has been the exodus of gay men to their retirement havens. San Francisco's loss is definitely Palm Springs' gain! But it means that the gay population here is declining, just as the overall population is decreasing.

 

Nothing is ever completely awful, though. The City is still beautiful, the weather is bracing, and there are a number of new things to see, like the just-opened Asian Art Museum, which was recycled from the old main library building by Gae Aulenti, who turned an old railroad station into the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The landmark Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street has been refurbished and will soon house an on-going gourmet and farmer's market. Construction is well under way for the new deYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park (replacing the older, seismically unsafe building). BART has just been extended to SFO; I rode it the other day and it's a painless way to get to and from the airport (if you're traveling light)! Union Square was also renovated, and the shopping district surrounding it is still one of the few vibrant downtown shopping districts left in the U.S., with all your favorite deluxe shops! The Castro isn't as exclusively gay as it was pre-AIDS, but it's still one of the gayest neighborhoods on the planet, and there are still lots of fun stores and interesting restaurants, all in a very walkable area. Also, because of the slow-down in the tourist biz, hotel rates have dipped, and it's much easier to find good deals at very nice hotels than would have been possible a few years ago. It's also easier to get a reservation at the better restaurants! So yes, you can have a good visit here.

[+ glutes]

Your post was right on the money Tri, SF is a great city, but we should all get back to initial post.

'luv2hire' was asking if it was worth a visit here for the rentboy scene, the answer is 'no'. Ever since the 'SF twink scam' was unearthed, the escort scene here can only be described as 'dismal'. Maybe the Producer of said scam thought he could get away with it because there is no scene, he created one!

[Guest n6sorrel]

I rather rapidly scrolled through a searched history of the "scam".

Am I incorrect in saying that it was a small group of individuals marketing themselves as a larger group of escorts of similiar personalities? But would not that larger group be considered small in comparison to the much larger population of escorts listed here and on the other websites?

 

I'm flying over next weekend to walk around, see the Asian Art Museum and to meet a date that Saturday night.

[+ glutes]

As I have posted in other threads, even the Bay Area Reporter ads are dreadful. Most don't live up their descriptions, and some photos are years old, and in 2 cases are approaching a decade! Since the scam was thoroughly discussed here earlier this year, there have been no new identifiable entrants. Cory Sport, Ian Holmes, et al. continue with there AOL 'parking', vying for the odd-lot punter.

[Funseeker 22]

Sounds like San Francisco needs a ray of sunshine.

Keep in mind that Bruno Gaucho arrived there today for a week.

[+ Lucky]

I agree that San Francisco has become a dismal place. The homeless are like sacred cows in India. No one dares do anything about the overwhelming problem because some faction will always complain. The politics there absolutely suck with some of the meanest and nastiest queens running the show. The city (or City as they like to say) is dirty and smelly as well as expensive. I'll take New York anyday. Besides that, it's freezing there in August!

[Trixie]

Alas, the Miss Haversham Syndrome finds us all eventually. God knows my sequins are somewhat diminished in lustre these days.

 

La Trix, fatigueé

[VaHawk]

I believe all the high, exorbitant rent was due to the dot.com brats and now that it has crashed, the pendulum is swinging back as far as guppiness and high rent goes, so there is hope yet. As far as rent goes, it isn't any worse than the DC metropolitan area.

 

I still think it is a great city, and I had a great time when I was there in April. I even saw hustlers on Polk Street again, admittedly not the greatest, but still better than you see in DC.

 

Besides, if for no other reason, it is worth visiting in order to meet La Belle Trixie.

[Trixie]

Oh, you doll! Thank you, VaHawk! I may not be a major tourist attraction, but I've left my phone number scrawled on enough rest area stalls to warrant the title Roadside Attraction.

Trixie

[VaHawk]

No, no, no!!! You are the doll, Trixie!! BTW: I used to leave my name on the T room wall in a shopping center bathroom, notorious for m2m sexual encounters. I can not tell you how many replies/encounters resulted! What was really weird is that one of the callers turned out to someone who worked at the same company as me and we became regular sex buds. Life is indeed strange sometimes.

[+ Lucky]

I have never, ever, thought that you were actually supposed to call those numbers! What if someone had put up a number of someone who would not appreciate the calls?

(BTW, hawk, I am counting how many times you post on this thread! )

[VaHawk]

LOL! If you're still counting, this is my 3rd post on this thread.

 

Really, man, I'm with you, as I never thought anyone actually called numbers on a stall wall! I know I never would, but I was so truly amazed, at the number of calls I got in the few months I did it.

 

I would say that I hooked up with about 1/3 of the guys who called me, and it was a really, really strange scene, but I don't regret doing it at all. Of the guys I hooked up with I would say that 1/2 of them became regular buds. I would also guesstimate that 90% of the guys were straight or bi.

[Huey]

Tri thanks for your observations . It seems as if a trip might be in the near future for me. I'm not heavily into a gay scene so the issues that the city has suffered due to AIDS doesn't really effect me directly. I think I will still have fun now that hotels are a little less and cultural events are still happening. Anyway, that is my feeling.