Bloomberg reports:
Tour buses have hit San Francisco’s well-known gay district, and some residents are none too happy about it. While the visitors may consider themselves tourists just taking in another site, locals call them something else: quick-hit voyeurs who disrupt traffic and parking and rarely spend any money … Castro residents say the buses started showing up about four months ago, and now arrive every Thursday and Sunday, typically between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
The Castro district became a haven for gays during the political and social activism of the 1960s and 1970s. One of its merchants, camera shop owner Harvey Milk, became San Francisco’s first openly gay supervisor. Milk was assassinated in 1978, further uniting the community. A movie based on his life is planned for release later this year, which may draw even more tourists to the neighborhood, residents say.
Your thoughts?
October 7th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Perhaps the residents should try to work with the tour companies. I agree that having tour buses gawking at one’s neighbourhood and community would be uncomfortable and even annoying. On the other hand, if the tourists wanted to walk the streets and visit local businesses (I don’t know the Castro district, but if it’s like many bohemian areas, I assume that there are cafes, restaurants, small retail, maybe artist studios that would appreciate some extra business).
If the neighbourhood could find a place for tour buses to park on the edge of the area, provide visitors with an anotated map, then this could be a benefit rather than an annoyance.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:50 am
OK, I’ll bite.
What is so special in the Castro about those two time periods?
“and now arrive every Thursday and Sunday, typically between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.”