The Castro Theater

It truly is a movie palace, with a grand Wurlitzer organ, (played live during evening intermission), and huge screen.

There are lots of little restaurants nearby and yes, gay bars.

The Castro hosts lots of different kinds of films and mini fests all throughout the year, and you're unlikely to find a more appreciative audience anywhere.

It seats 1407 and amazingly, the 2009 Noir City was at capacity opening night and the next night as well!!

The bathroom lines and snack bar line can be unbearably long in such cases, but I was impressed at how fast they moved and how well orchestrated they were (at the 2009 San Francisco film noir festival ).

Getting to the Castro Theater

If you are flying into San Francisco International Airport, you can take BART to the Civic Center station, go up one level and take the M train (separate ticket) to Castro Street. Or, go up to street level and catch a bus...though this could take a while, as they are infrequent to Castro Street. Personally, I'd prefer the walk down Market Street.

Likewise, if you're coming in from Oakland Airport, take the BART shuttle to the BART station, go into the city and get off at Civic Center and follow the above directions.

If you're coming by car, good luck parking!! The Castro has a tiny lot behind the theater, (at least it used to), but it doesn't hold a ton of cars.

You can try to find street parking in the residential section of the Castro, but you may find yourself several blocks away. Still, I love a good walk before and after a great film.

The address is 429 Castro Street. Call 415-621-6120 or go to www.castrotheatre.com.