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Steep
streets and brightly painted Victorian houses give this upper Market "Gay
Mecca" neighborhood that distinct San Francisco look. The Castro
is a series of imaginative boutiques, bookstores and bars. Novelty items
abound in shops at the end of Market Street between 16th and 17th Streets.
The heart of the area is 18th and Castro Streets. Built in 1922 the Castro
Theater, 429 Castro Street, survives as one of the last grand movie palaces,
featuring revivals and pre-film concerts on the mighty Wurlitzer. The
Names Project at 584 Castro Street, houses the AIDS memorial quilt. Each
June, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Parade
draws nearly 500,000 participants and spectators. The Castro Street Fair
unfolds each October.
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