accommodations in SF

[bigvalboy]

The Castro is better than it used to be. There is an actual organic assortment of small businesses there - drugstores, hardware, florists, law offices, doc's offices, clothing stores, food stores - limited though it may be. In the 70's, Castro, from Market St to 19th and 18th, from Noe to Diamond was pretty much nothing but restaurants (not very good ones), bars and various sex shops. I lived in Denver at the time, and whenever I visited there, as much fun as I had in the Castro, I used to think, "God, if you needed something dry-cleaned or needed to buy a hammer, what would you do?"

 

Indeed.... Last time I was in SF, just for shits-n-giggles I checked housing prices in the Castro. Impressive numbers no matter where you live, thanks to Silicon valley and all these Tech kids that get bused for free to and from the city proper. Average salaries hitting the $190,000 range have driven the median 2 bed rentals to over 5k a month, and average turn of the century Victorians starting in the $800k range and climbing quickly well into the seven figures. Up a steller 18% in the Castro this year alone, with higher rents than LA, DC and NYC. The old girl ain't what she used to be.

 

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/rising-home-rental-prices-led-san-francisco-bay-131856437.html

 

I now return you to your regularly scheduled progaming..

[+ Chris Eisenhower]

My choice in SF. Two 1909 Edwardian mansions, connected by decks and gardens. Great restaurants within walking, safe residential, in the Castro, and right on the Trolley line. Minutes to downtown or the Embarcadero. Extremely accommodating staff, with wonderful turn of the century ambiance. Two thumbs up in my book.

 

http://www.parkerguesthouse.com/

 

http://www.parkerguesthouse.com/images/home1.jpg

 

http://www.parkerguesthouse.com/images/lobby.jpg

 

http://www.parkerguesthouse.com/images/garden.jpg

 

http://www.parkerguesthouse.com/images/PGHroom.jpg

 

Thank you so much. I'm out there this coming week and was trying to find something with some character and a good location, and this seems perfect. I'll post back and let you know how it went.

[Rudynate]

Indeed.... Last time I was in SF, just for shits-n-giggles I checked housing prices in the Castro. Impressive numbers no matter where you live, thanks to Silicon valley and all these Tech kids that get bused for free to and from the city proper. Average salaries hitting the $190,000 range have driven the median 2 bed rentals to over 5k a month, and average turn of the century Victorians starting in the $800k range and climbing quickly well into the seven figures. Up a steller 18% in the Castro this year alone, with higher rents than LA, DC and NYC. The old girl ain't what she used to be.

 

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/rising-home-rental-prices-led-san-francisco-bay-131856437.html

 

I now return you to your regularly scheduled progaming..

 

 

I think I read recently that the median home price in SF proper is right around a million.

[nate_sf]

A couple years ago I stayed at what a friend described as the local "no-tell-motel". Can't remember the name but it's on Market just a few blocks east of Castro. It was cheap, the rooms were clean, and didn't feel sleazy. I sprang for the "Fireplace room" (just an electric fireplace) and it was roomy and comfortable.

 

That would probably be Beck's Motor Lodge. If your priority is to be in the 'hood, it's location can't be beat. Close to all the bars and restaurants and they have a lot for your rental car. It's low on charm but perfectly clean and serviceable, sort of like a Best Western but a little bit gayer.

[Rudynate]

That would probably be Beck's Motor Lodge. If your priority is to be in the 'hood, it's location can't be beat. Close to all the bars and restaurants and they have a lot for your rental car. It's low on charm but perfectly clean and serviceable, sort of like a Best Western but a little bit gayer.

 

It's pretty cruisy - staying there would be a bit like staying in a sex club or a bathhouse. Not my idea of a great place to stay, but tastes vary.

[bigvalboy]

http://becksmotorlodge.com/

 

http://s3-media3.fl.yelpassets.com/bphoto/mCIr3S_7AeJcrjp9o9bRTw/l.jpg

[+ poolboy48220]

That's the place. I didn't find it very cruisy but I didn't spend much time at the hotel, and my room was away from the main corridors. Clean, not fancy, VERY reasonable given the other hotel rates in the city, it suited me fine.

[Rudynate]

Maybe things have changed. A few years ago, I stopped in there to pick up a friend who was staying there. It was like a sex club. Guys were cruising on the balconies, some were standing in their rooms with the doors open, the TV room had porn playing and was full of guys cruising. I have never stayed there on my visits and I was surprised to see that it was that way. But things change. That was before web 2.0, grindr and craiglist.

[Lankypeters]

I stayed there years ago. I didn't sleep the entire night because of the noise from the nonstop cruising taking place on the outside balcony. Guys stripped down, got in bed and left their doors open, as they might do at the baths. I left after one night, canceling the remainder of my reservation.

[Steven_Draker]

A few years ago, I stopped in there to pick up a friend who was staying there. It was like a sex club. Guys were cruising on the balconies, some were standing in their rooms with the doors open, the TV room had porn playing and was full of guys cruising.

 

This sounds like such a romantic place to stay ...

 

[Rudynate]

This sounds like such a romantic place to stay ...

 

 

Exactly my thought.

[+ FreshFluff]

Maybe things have changed. A few years ago, I stopped in there to pick up a friend who was staying there. It was like a sex club. Guys were cruising on the balconies, some were standing in their rooms with the doors open, the TV room had porn playing and was full of guys cruising.

 

That must be incredible, especially in the Castro, where the police wouldn't bother you. The great thing about being a gay guy post-1996 is you can have fun without the games str8 men have to play and you don't have worry about the Oxytocin hangover or pregnancy (as women do).

[Rudynate]

That must be incredible, especially in the Castro, where the police wouldn't bother you. The great thing about being a gay guy post-1996 is you can have fun without the games str8 men have to play and you don't have worry about the Oxytocin hangover or pregnancy (as women do).

 

Fresh - you have no idea. Before AIDS and the internet, you could hook up with somebody after exchanging glances on the street, without saying a word.

[marylander1940]

That must be incredible, especially in the Castro, where the police wouldn't bother you. The great thing about being a gay guy post-1996 is you can have fun without the games str8 men have to play and you don't have worry about the Oxytocin hangover or pregnancy (as women do).

 

Now a straight man in SF gets laid like crazy, they're a minority and women are desperate.

 

I have great memories of the Castro in the 60's

[marylander1940]

Fresh - you have no idea. Before AIDS and the internet, you could hook up with somebody after exchanging glances on the street, without saying a word.

 

"Darkrooms" were popular too, now guys do hook up but pictures should be exchanged first. LOL.

 

Getting laid at a bar is complicated because young folks don't want to look slutty in front of their friends, they'd rather going on their iPhone in front of them and making plans for later. LOL

[Rudynate]

Now a straight man in SF gets laid like crazy, they're a minority and women are desperate.

 

I have great memories of the Castro in the 60's

 

 

Straight guys still complain about how great gays have it. What's interesting is that they are openly envious. They don't think we're sick or depraved anymore, just that we really have a good thing going.

[+ FreshFluff]

Sex and the city used to be comedy about women behaving like gay men in a big city, now hookups in the first date are common among straight men and women. Is the world turning gay?

 

Not really. First, a lot of women have figured out the game and wait it out, whether for several dates or more. Second, even when hetero first date sex is on offer, the guy has to jump through some hoops to get it. It's nothing like the scene at the Becks Motor Lodge or like what Rudynate described on the streets of NY in the 70s. That's why..

 

Straight guys still complain about how great gays have it. What's interesting is that they are openly envious. They don't think we're sick or depraved anymore, just that we really have a good thing going.

[Rudynate]

Now a straight man in SF gets laid like crazy, they're a minority and women are desperate.

 

I have great memories of the Castro in the 60's

 

The Castro didn't start happening until the early 70's. Until 1975 or so, Polk Street was the main event.

[Rudynate]

Tomato, tomatoe...

 

I didn't say it's "It's nothing like the scene at the Becks Motor Lodge or like what Rudynate described on the streets of NY in the 70s...."

But c'mon... talk to a guy who's 20something and compare his sexual life to guys his age in the 70's, 80's and 90's....Women have more sexual freedom (pussy it's a lot easier than it used to be)...

 

Was it common in the 90's to live with your gf out of wedlock? No it wasn't, it was called trailer park-ghetto-barrio, wasn't it?

C'mon guys makes no sense to be talking about obvious shit like this on here over and over again...

 

 

http://static.tumblr.com/f4c25c68ff9db651f7d655faedcade02/vv6xbwf/r01mf7ynz/tumblr_static_header.jpg

 

 

Unmarried heterosexual couples weren't living together in the 90's?? On what planet?

[marylander1940]

Unmarried heterosexual couples weren't living together in the 90's?? On what planet?

 

It wasn't as common as it is now a days... that's what I said and meant, and you know it...

[rguer]

It wasn't as common as it is now a days... that's what I said and meant, and you know it...

 

I don't think it's any more common now. If anything, it seems less common - a combination of more likely to get married and more likely to live separately.

[+ FreshFluff]

Tomato, tomatoe...

 

I didn't say it's "It's nothing like the scene at the Becks Motor Lodge or like what Rudynate described on the streets of NY in the 70s...."

But c'mon... talk to a guy who's 20something and compare his sexual life to guys his age in the 70's, 80's and 90's....Women have more sexual freedom (pussy it's a lot easier than it used to be)...

 

Was it common in the 90's to live with your gf out of wedlock? No it wasn't, it was called trailer park-ghetto-barrio, wasn't it?

 

I think you're conflating casual first-date sex with long-term sexual relationships between people who aren't married. Even in the 80s, I'd be shocked if many couples--at least in the big cities-- had sex for the first time on their wedding nights.

 

Sure, it's easier for the straight guy to get laid than it used to be. But the Beck's Motor Lodge it ain't. To get casual sex, the straight guy must get into the party/hot club (or get her to meet him off Tinder), buy a bunch of drinks and possibly dinner, and say just the right thing. (One creepy word, one touch too many, and she's gone.) And even if he does everything right, the girl might still walk at 3 AM, when it's too late to find anyone else.

 

Plus, I'd say that a smaller share of straight men than gay men can get laid quickly. Why do you think female escorts are more expensive than male ones?

[+ FreshFluff]

not anymore... you need to meet young folks.

 

I'm out with them all the time, and I'd say I'm a good observer. You can go into these same places yourself, and see what goes on. Again, I agree that casual sex is easier to get than it used to be, but on any particular night, sex is not a sure thing for all but the very top-notch straight guys. I used the motor lodge comparison to underscore that difference between the gay and straight markets.

 

There's a stigma associated with prostitution, that's why less women "have the stomach" or the will to do the job.

 

So you're saying that there are fewer female prostitutes per capita among straight women than gay prostitutes among gay men? We don't have the numbers, but I'd be surprised if that was true.

 

But that's just the supply side. The other side is demand, and that's where you see the big differences between straight and gay men. Because of what I mentioned above, there are just more straight men than straight men who need to turn to escorts to get laid.

[Rudynate]

It wasn't as common as it is now a days... that's what I said and meant, and you know it...

 

 

At least in the parts of the country where I have lived, it's been exceedingly common for forty years, or nearly so.

[Rudynate]

What I'm finding, that disturbs me a little, is that it's more common recently to hear people speak of two unmarried people living together in slightly derogatory terms, things like "They're shacking up together," or referring to a man's female partner as his "live-in". Whenever I hear that, I always think, "I thought we were past that years ago." It could also be a function of some of the people I run with in my business.