Are there no decent world-class gay clubs in SF? (San Diego: appointed, house)

[destroycreate]

SF being a gay mecca doesn't really seem to have any impressive gay clubs. I have partied in NY, London, LA, San Diego and even other mid-sized cities, all have huge amazing gay clubs where there are several dance floors, lots of space, and you don't feel packed in like sardines.

SF though? I went to Trigger and Badlands. They were extremely small and claustraphobic. I've yet to find any site that can tell me where I can find a big gay club; there just seems to be a plethora of gay bars.

So am I missing out? Where can I find a great gay club to dance to with house music?

[psychprof]

not really a gay club town. weird, huh?

[Radical347]

Originally Posted by destroycreate

SF being a gay mecca doesn't really seem to have any impressive gay clubs. I have partied in NY, London, LA, San Diego and even other mid-sized cities, all have huge amazing gay clubs where there are several dance floors, lots of space, and you don't feel packed in like sardines.

San Diego? Explain please. I used to live there and the only one that remotely fit that description is Club Montage on a good night, but that place has an identity crisis as well as being a little too off the beaten path.

[destroycreate]

Rich's and Universal are both nice big clubs...much better than anything I saw in SF.

[nirea82]

Used to be Cafe but it's been under renovation, it is hard becuase many of the clubs are a little small I like Q-bar but it also can get quite packed. Once CAfe opens back up give it a try much more space and has different music on different nights.

[jman650]

Originally Posted by destroycreate

SF being a gay mecca doesn't really seem to have any impressive gay clubs. I have partied in NY, London, LA, San Diego and even other mid-sized cities, all have huge amazing gay clubs where there are several dance floors, lots of space, and you don't feel packed in like sardines.

That's because its not really a "gay mecca." That image is overstated. There is a significant population of them here and they are well represented for the most part, but those other cities you've listed all have larger gay populations than SF. That's why its interesting what stereotypes develop as a result of what is portrayed by the media. SF might even qualify as the gay capitol since it has a large (15.4%) percentage of them within its population and its like the center for gay politics, but it's gay community is not truly very sizable.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

I think gays mostly go to "mixed" clubs. Or viewed conversely, the better clubs here tend to tailor themselves to appeal to a diverse clientelle.

[skywalker400]

San Francisco is much more of a "bar" type city than a night club kinda place (like Miami or LA). Its a lot more laid back here for the most part (i.e. less flashy with clothes/$$$), and I feel the gay scene is a bit older than in other cities too. I too was disappointed when I didn't find a "Babylon".

[tstieber]

They used to have really cool, huge gay mega-clubs in SF up until the mid-90s, but since then, it's all been more loungy, neighborhood bars. The big clubs were always far away from the neighborhoods, so I think it's that people want to walk to a bunch of places and bar-hop, rather than drive or cab to a warehouse district and spend the whole night. Universal in SD is in the middle of Hillcrest, so they don't have that locational problem. It's just been a trend for a decade or so to move away from the big clubs. I do hear Ruby Skye downtown has a gay night once a month or every two weeks or something, possibly on a Sunday. You may want to check that out.

[bellalunatic]

um, did everyone forget about The End Up?

The best gay club is not required to be in the Castro!

http://www.theendup.com/