Alfie’s was the Castro’s first disco bar and a place that Vargas frequented, mentioned eight times throughout the first diary. The bar still exists today but has undergone various name changes since his years frequenting the bar. The name Alfie’s, used from 1977-1983, is comes from Michael Caine’s 1966 film Alfie, about a British womanizer who becomes disillusioned with his hedonism.
More history on Alfie’s can be found here .
The Balcony was a restaurant and bar that catered to the leather community from 1977 until 1983.
More history on the Balcony can be found here.
The Castro District was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States and still is hub of gay life with the greatest number of gay bars and businesses in San Francisco.
More information on the Castro District can be found here.
The Castro Theatre opened in 1922 by the Nasser brothers and became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in 1976. The Castro Theatre hosted the premiere of Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives, a 1977 documentary film directed by the Mariposa Film Group following 26 gay women and men sharing their stories of coming out and experiences as gay individuals during the 1970s. The Castro Theatre also hosted the theatrical premiere of the 2011 documentary We Were Here by David Weissman following five individuals during the 80-90’s AIDS epidemic in San Francisco.
Facebook page: Castro Theatre.
More history on the Castro Theatre can be found here.
The I-Beam was the second largest gay dance club in San Francisco and was in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. It hosted events ranging from disco to punk and made a name for itself as a venue for new wave and punk in addition to hosting hip-hop, reggae and other genre themed nights. It operated form 1977 until 1994 after many complaints about the noise level from neighbors.
Facebook page: I-Beam.
More history on the I-Beam can be found here.
The Trocadero Transfer was an after hours dance club that was frequented by the gay community in San Francisco when places like I-Beam closed at 2am.
More history on the Trocadero Transfer can be found here.
