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San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
One of S.F.'s oldest gay bars saved by new owner
The last remaining gay bar on Polk Street has found a new owner just in time for LGBTQ Pride month. Scott Taylor, the beverage director at nearby Harris' Restaurant, is taking over the bar, according to a Tuesday announcement; Taylor has spent the past 23 years working in the industry managing various restaurants, bars and nightclubs throughout San Francisco. 'There will be minimal changes to the bar's look. I want to hold onto its history,' Taylor said. That history is rich. The Cinch was founded in 1974, and is one of the oldest gay bars in the city. During that decade, it was part of a vibrant gay scene in Polk Gulch that competed with the Castro as an epicenter of queer life in the city. At its height, there were more than 60 gay bars, peepshows, bathhouses and other gay establishments in the area. The first Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco (now San Francisco Pride) was held on Polk Street in June 1970. Before news of the sale, rumors had flown that the Cinch's days could be numbered. Taylor assumes ownership from Robby Morgenstein, who ran the bar with business partner Bob Thornton. Thornton died in May 2023. The building's famed western facade is the last from the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. LGBTQ community leader Juanita More noted that when she first moved to Nob Hill in 1982, 'I often adventured down to the bars on Polk Street, with which I had been familiar since high school. And the Cinch is where I felt comfortable and began making many new friends (sometimes at the urinal).' More said she will lend her support to Taylor and 'will be by his side to ensure it succeeds and lives on for a hundred years.' On June 22, More and drag king and activist Alex U. Inn will lead the 'People's March & Rally — Unite to Fight!' for the sixth year. Beginning at 11:00 a.m. the intersection of Washington St. and Polk St., near the Cinch. The event is inspired by the first Gay Liberation protest in the neighborhood, and will progress down Polk to Civic Center for an afternoon celebration with DJs, performers and artists' booths from 12:30-4 p.m.
CBS News
27-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
March Madness comes to San Francisco with Sweet 16 games at Chase Center. Here's what to know.
The Chase Center in San Francisco hosts the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the arena's brief history this week as two Sweet 16 games are played on the Warriors' home court. NCAA Tournament games have been played in the Bay Area dating back to the first college basketball tournament ever in 1939 when the West Regional contest was played at the California Coliseum, part of the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island. The Tournament wouldn't return to the region until both Stanford (Burnham Pavilion in 1953) and Cal (Haas Pavilion in 1958) hosted opening-round games and the Cow Palace was used as a game site in 1955 and 1958-1960. Both the Oakland Arena and SAP Center in San Jose have held tournament games in the the modern era starting in 1990 through the 2010s, with the West Regional coming to the Chase Center in 2022. The first game scheduled on Thursday will be between No. 1 Seed Florida and No. 4 Seed Maryland. That game is set to start at 4:39 p.m. The Gators made some headlines due to coach Todd Golden initially getting shut out when he tried to make a reservation for the team at his favorite San Francisco restaurant, Original Joe's (he was eventually able to make arrangements there for Tuesday night). The real story for Florida is guard Walter Clayton Jr., who became the school's first-ever first-team All American and keyed Florida's comeback win over UConn. The Terrapins boast a gifted starting five (known as the "Crab Five," a play on the University of Michigan's "Fab Five" squad in 1991) that includes rising star Derik Queen (whose buzzer-beater lifted Maryland over Colorado State 72-71) and Julian Reese, the brother of current WNBA star Angel Reese. The second game scheduled for 7:09 p.m. Thursday pits No. 3 Seed Texas Tech against one of the tournament's Cinderella stories, No. 10 Seed Arkansas. The Red Raiders are led by Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin, who is projected to be first-round NBA draft pick. Despite their low seed, the Razorbacks are one of the most talented teams in the tournament and boast another candidate for future NBA star in Boogie Fland. The winners of these two Thursday games will advance to face each other on Saturday, March, 29, with the winner of that contest moving on to the Final Four. Tickets for the games on Thursday start at around $117 per seat in the upper sections of the Chase Center, with resale seats in the courtside sections going for anywhere from almost $900 to over $5,000. Pricing for Saturday's Elite Eight game starts slightly higher at around $138 per ticket, but tops out at a more modest $2,500 as of Wednesday evening. There are also premium suites available and NCAA Fan Experience packages starting at $275 per ticket. While there is not a planned viewing party for the games being played at Chase Center on Thursday and Saturday, there will be men's college basketball on the big screen outside the arena on Friday and Sunday. The viewing sessions begin at 9 a.m. and will feature the simultaneous broadcast of all the big games on the split-screen plaza board. The event is scheduled to go until 9 p.m. Tickets for the viewing party on Friday are free, but those who have RSVP registrations through Eventbrite will receive priority admission until capacity is reached. A limited amount of walk-ups may be available. Space is limited and will be first-come, first-served. While there will be parking available on some city streets and area garages near Chase Center, the venue is easily accessible via Muni , BART , Caltrain , and the ferry . Muni will also run additional S-shuttle trains and express bus service between Chase Center and 16th St Mission BART station starting 2.5 hours before and 1 hour after games. Basketball fans attending the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games can show their game ticket at Muni fare gates and boarding platforms to ride without additional charge. Both electronic and physical tickets for the tournament games will serve as proof of payment for Muni service throughout the day. Keep your tickets handy to show to station agents or transit fare inspectors. More information for the program is available at the Chase Center fare page .
