by Eric Miller
The system of cable cars and historic streetcars in San Francisco is loved by tourists who use them to travel among some of the major destinations in the city. And undoubtedly residents who haven't been to Fisherman's Wharf in years rediscovered it when the streetcars traveled the Embarcadero for the first time last summer. For many residents of the Castro, however, the streetcar extension to Fisherman's Wharf would mean hundreds of middle-Americans would soon be flocking to what many gays and lesbians think of as their own little retreat from the straight world. Gay people in the Castro, residents feared, would be no better off than an Amish family in the shadow of Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
More, merchants worried the streetcars and tourists would mean rents would rise and more chain stores would move in. Gentrification and homogenization were only a few transit stops away.
As the day approached for the line to open connecting Fisherman's Wharf to the Castro--"from the Ferry Building to fairyland," as the joke went--posters warned of the impending demise of the latter. Some residents and activists voiced their view that the colorful, tourist-attracting cars should turn back at Van Ness and in the process "keep the Castro queer."
Today, however, it's hard to find a resident, gay or straight, who hasn't formed some kind of loving bond with the streetcars.
"Maybe there's been a few tourists," said Kelton Finney, who lives with her partner Ann Rule above the Noe Street loop the streetcars circle hundreds of times a day. "But there's no more than there were before the streetcars connected the Castro with Fisherman's Wharf." Both Finney and Rule said they enjoyed having the rest of the city accessible from the F-line. "Unless I'm pressed for time," Finney said, "it's nice to ride the cars and watch the world go by."
Resident Steve Gaynes recalled that some of the residents in the area were afraid there would be "blue-haired ladies coming in to gawk at the queers…There are a lot of tourists in the Castro anyway," Gaynes said. "The attraction of the Castro to tourists is not caused by the streetcars."
But with a new Pottery Barn preparing to open at the corner of Market and Castro, some merchants are still fearful their rents will rise because of the impact of the streetcars. For most, though, the fear long ago subsided.
"Initially, I was somewhat concerned," said Patrick Batt, president of the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro. "I haven't seen a dramatic increase in tourists or chain stores." Batt pointed out that the Cable Car turn-a-round at Powell and Market was a major tourist destination as well and it had been connected to the Castro for years.
With a first-hand perspective, Batt felt certain the decision of some chain stores to come in to the Castro neighborhood was not influenced by streetcars. "When we were in discussions with Pottery Barn, they told us the decision to open the store had nothing to do with the streetcars," Batt said. "People can't take a bed home to Peoria on the F-line."
The Castro further embraced the streetcars as a permanent landmark last fall in a competition for the redesign of Harvey Milk Plaza at Market and Castro. Each of the plans incorporated the streetcars into the design, and the winning entry made the western terminus a focal point by closing off a short stretch of 17th Street at the F-line and making it into a pedestrian area.
If they think hard, some residents can find something they don't like about the cars. Some signed a petition because the orange cars from Milan were too noisy. Some even say they've had an impact on their health. "I used to walk or ride a bike to and from work every day, so I got lots of exercise," said resident Greg Halbert. "Then I got lazy and discovered the streetcars…."
