Laverne, surely

When Laverne Cummings died in a pedestrian accident in Las Vegas on March 22, 2018, we lost more than an astounding artist, vocalist and female impersonator. We lost a connection to a world that is quickly fading from view.

Our Lady of the Phone Booth

Linda Pancost's forty years of gay bars in San Francisco included The Tower Lounge and The Phone Booth.

Best Nightlife Events: Your favorite comedy, drag, women's and leather events

Offering a special flavor of entertainment, your picks for best weekly, monthly and not-so-regularly events showcases the diverse aspects of Bay Area nightlife.

Best Bars & Clubs: Your nightlife favorites fly their fun flags

One of the nicest things about the Besties is that it shows how vital our nightlife is in town. But don't just take the word of our readers for it. Along with the winners, check out the runners-up and run a contest of your own.

BARchive :: Café Back in the Day

The late 1980s saw something of an explosion of women's venues, which was followed shortly thereafter with an implosion. Café San Marcos found itself in an unusual situation: Was it a mixed bar or a women's bar?

BARchive :: Fair Trade

Late in 2016, the press buzzed with word of tunnels beneath the 900 block of Market Street that provided escape routes from bars. There was more underground about these bars than tunnels, however. They were a hotbed of trade.

BARchive :: Michael Greer - Honorary San Franciscan

There is a special kind of performer who is somewhat well known by the world at large, but held a special place in the heart of San Franciscans. The actor, comic and writer Michael Greer was one of these performers.

BARchive :: How the Holidays Kept Hope Alive in the Midst of AIDS

The roots of our holiday traditions in the gay community run deep. It should come as no surprise that when the darkest days of the AIDS crisis hit, we responded in the spirit of the season.

Gangway for History

Along with its nautical theme, like a grounded pirate ship, the bar holds a treasure chest of historical tales.

Gary Numan :: Your Musical Introduction to the Apocalypse

Anyone who is a fan of is well aware of Gary Numan's forays into science fiction. From early in his career, the song "Down In The Park" (1979) envisioned a technological nightmarish future that included "rape machines."

BARchive :: Making Magic - Searching for LGBT Histories of Neopaganism, the Paranormal and the Occult in San Francisco

Curious about the history of pagan and occult interests among LGBT people in San Francisco? This is the perfect time of year to explore that topic.

BARchive :: When 'Drummer' Came to Town

During its classic period from 1977 to 1979, the magazine "Drummer" introduced the growing leather culture to both San Francisco and the world.

BARchive :: Club Dori - A Bar in A World of Its Own

When we think of the history of our community, we usually think of neighborhoods. But there are places that exist outside of neighborhoods, and Club Dori was one of them.

BARchive: Saucy Sausalito

If you have moved to the Bay Area recently, you no doubt think of Sausalito as a quaint touristy town - the perfect sort of place to take visiting relatives. It hasn't always been that way.

Saucy Sausalito

Marin's gay life was only a ferry away

BARchive: Seafood, Sailors, & San Francisco's Dockside Secrets

The start of the Pride Parade has a secret - and it's hidden! The downtown assembly area on the waterfront is among the oldest LGBT neighborhoods in the city, and there is barely a trace of it left.

Cover the Waterfront

Seafood, sailors, & San Francisco's dockside secrets

Purple Reign

North Beach clubs exploded with talent in the '50s and '60s

Nightlife Besties

This year's array of Bestie winners show that sometimes the new kids on the block (like Oasis and the re-introduced Eagle) can show the long-timers how to have a good time.

BARchive: Club 181, the original Breakfast Club

There are rare bars that are popular in one generation and come back a second time. Even rarer is one which has three lives. The 181 Club was such a bar. It lasted from the 1950s to the 1990s and left its mark on three generations.

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