Part of the Gay San Francisco Guide — bars, events & things to do.
San Francisco, California
Historic Castro tavern — a gay bar since 1972, first with open windows.
Twin Peaks Tavern holds a permanent place in queer history as, by most accounts, the first gay bar to take the coverings off its windows. When Mary Ellen Cunha and Peggy Forster took over the corner of Castro and Market in 1972, they left the full plate-glass windows clear, revealing the patrons inside at a time when most gay bars stayed shuttered to protect their customers. In 2013 the city made it a Designated Landmark for exactly that. Inside it's calmer than the dance bars down the block: cozy booths, classic cocktails, and those big windows looking out over one of the Castro's busiest corners. It draws an older, conversational crowd and curious first-timers alike. Come early, take a window seat, and watch the neighborhood it helped open up walk past.
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