Castro Courier

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City Guide Ken Marquis (left) tells the tour about the history of the neighborhood in front of a mural at the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy on 19th Street. Marquis is one of 300 volunteers that lead walks guiding tourists and residents through the history of various SF neighborhoods.

It’s spring in the Castro!

What a better way to spend Sunday morning, I thought, than to explore a neighborhood I only thought I knew.

I hit the streets with the City Guides Walking Tour “Castro: Tales of the City” alongside folks from around the world to see what undiscovered gems lay hidden in our favorite neighborhood.

Did you know the rainbow flag originally consisted of eight colors? That there was a dirt alley off Seward Street until two years ago? Led by our energetic tour leader Ken Marquis, I learned secrets of the land as well as about the intricacies of Victorian architecture in less than two hours.

Starting under the iconic rainbow flag at the Harvey Milk plaza, (where Ohlone Indians used to live), we learned that in 1978 the rainbow flag was designed by local artist Gilbert Baker with eight color strips. Ultimately, the hot pink and indigo were removed from the flag design we know today.
Looking north across the street, we learned about the history of Pink Triangle Park and the old streetcar tunnel. Turning the corner, we saw the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, which according to Marquis, is “the gayest church in the world.”

Seeking to augment our knowledge of Victorian architecture with a handy style reference guide, we made our way up to 250 Douglass St. to view the mansion built by Alfred E. “Nobby” Clarke. The mansion was built as a surprise for his wife. Ironically, when he brought his wife to the mansion for the first time, she was embarrassed by it, refused to get out of her buggy and they never moved in. He then became a lonely, bitter, penniless man.

Walking down 19th Street to the Harvey Milk School, Teresa from the Western Addition, noted how a gorgeous bamboo jungle had taken over a homeowner’s front lawn. She joked with him on how he needed a panda.

We stopped to marvel at the beautiful murals outside the school and hear Marquis speak about Harvey Milk and his dedication to the gay liberation movement.

“It is nice to be in a neighborhood and learn the history of what you are seeing as you walk through it,” said a new SF resident named Mary.

The tour concluded shortly after visiting the heart of the neighborhood at 18th and Castro streets where we learned about the upheaval that happened on the eve of Harvey Milk’s 49th birthday when the verdict of Dan White was announced.

“This tour is quite lovely,” said Joanna Dunis, a travel writer from Paris who is in San Francisco doing research for a French travel book.

“It is good to learn about all the areas of the neighborhood. I have taken five tours since being in San Francisco and this is the best one. Ken is very animated.”

The tour was attended by 18 different people from Atlanta, London, Tel Aviv and Copenhagen as well as curious Bay Area residents like myself.

City Guides
City Guides is a non-profit organization that provides over 40 different tours throughout San Francisco and is operated by one paid staff member and over 300 volunteers. “Our volunteers are people who are passionate about our city and want to share it,” said Marquis. Tours are available every day of the week with most tours lasting between one-and-a-half and two hours.
City Guides is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and has set a goal of attracting 30,000 walkers to attend one of its tours. This fall, it will be hosting a celebration with special guest speakers open to all who love City Guides.



	San Francisco, California May 2008