Despite San Diego's reputation as a Republican stronghold, the gay neighborhoods are as out-of-the-closet and gay-friendly as anywhere. Couples hold hands, gay papers are stacked at store entrances, and straight businesses advertise in the gay press.
The Republicanism here seems not to be the fundamentalist type. In 1995, a court blocked a small group of zealots called "The Normal People" from marching in the huge pride parade down University Avenue.
There's an open lesbian on the seven-member City Council. And she's a Democrat. San Diego's gayest and most cosmopolitan neighborhood is Hillcrest, centered at the intersection of Fifth and University avenues.
Bars, coffee shops, restaurants, bookstores, and kitsch outlets - many of them gay-owned - stretch along University from Third Avenue to Park Boulevard.
The strip also features America's only all-gay Ace Hardware store. Several other neighborhoods - including North Park, University Heights, Normal Heights, and Kensington - have large gay populations and a smattering of gay businesses.
The bear/leather scene is centered in North Park. There are about 30 gay bars (plus eight more 15 miles south in Tijuana) and a full range of gay businesses and organizations here in America's sixth-largest city.
Hotels that charge about $50 a night may still be found throughout the city; and at least four in Hillcrest target gay consumers. Black's Beach, an extremely popular nude beach with a half-mile-long gay section, is one of San Diego's unique gay offerings.
It is 12 miles north of downtown below the Torrey Pines Glider Port. (Exit I-5 West on Genesee Avenue.)
The sun shines here more than 300 days a year. The ocean is warm enough for swimming about half the year. But be warned: San Diego has been "discovered," and it's become more and more difficult to find inexpensive housing.
San Diego Gay Bars
Bacchus House - North Park's dance bar
North Park - 3054 University Ave., San Diego, CA
Bourbon Street - The place to see and be seen.
University Heights - 4612 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA
Caliph Lounge - Cozy piano bar
Hillcrest - 3100 5th Ave, San Diego, CA
Cheers - Local neighborhood dive
University Heights - 1839 Adams Ave., San Diego, CA
Club Extasis - Tijuana's naughty club with strippers and dark rooms
Calle Larroque 213, Tijuana, Mexico
Flame - Hopping dance club, seven days a week.
Hillcrest - 3780 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA
Flicks - Popular video bar.
Hillcrest - 1017 University Ave., San Diego, CA
Martinis Above Fourth - Cabaret lounge and restaurant.
Hillcrest - 3940 4th Ave., Suite 200, San Diego, CA
Number One (#1) Fifth Ave. - Casual neighborhood hangout.
Hillcrest - 3845 5th Ave. , San Diego, CA
Numbers - Popular dance club with two different rooms of music.
Hillcrest - 3811 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA
Pecs - Speakeasy style cruise bar.
North Park - 2046 University Ave., San Diego, CA
Redwing Bar & Grill - Redwings and red beer found here.
North Park - 4012 30th St., San Diego, CA
Rich's San Diego - Hopping dance spot.
Hillcrest - 1051 University Ave., San Diego, CA
San Diego Eagle - San Diego's only leather bar.
North Park - 3040 N. Park Way, San Diego, CA
SRO Lounge - Great for groups.
Balboa Park - 1807 5th Ave., San Diego, CA
The Brass Rail - Dance bar with a diverse crowd.
Hillcrest - 3796 5th Ave., San Diego, CA
The Hole - "A world famous dive".
Point Loma - 2820 Lytton St., San Diego, CA
The Loft - A dive bar with heavy-handed bartenders.
Hillcrest - 3610 5th Ave., San Diego, CA
Universal Hillcrest - Amaze your eyes with this sensual landscape lounge.
Hillcrest - 1202 University Ave., San Diego, CA
Urban Mo's - True fun Saturdays while two-stepping (and other music throughout the week).
Hillcrest - 308 University Ave., San Diego, CA
San Diego Gay Beaches
These beaches are recommended by travelers.
Black's Beach - Bare buns.
La Jolla - Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, San Diego, CA
Ocean Beach - Paws in the sand.
1950 Abbott St., San Diego, CA
