Polk Gulch, the microhood surrounding north–south Polk Street, hugs the western edges of Nob Hill and Russian Hill but is nothing like either. It's actually two microhoods: Upper Polk Gulch, fairly classy in its northern section, runs from about Union Street south to California Street; Lower Polk Gulch, the rougher southern part, continues down from California to Geary or so.
Polk Gulch was the Castro before the Castro. It was the city's gay neighborhood into the 1970s, hosting San Francisco’s first pride parade in 1972 and several festive Halloween extravaganzas. The area became known for transgender bars and gay prostitution but has "straightened" out—lost its edge, some would say. Today the friendly saloon the Cinch, the last remnant of gay Polk, and a few holdovers from that earlier time share space with newer mid-range restaurants, a passel of bars and nightclubs, and some browsable, funky stores, not to mention two great doughnut shops.
Downhill and down-market from its hilltop neighbors, Polk Gulch has seen some gentrification on certain blocks (especially north of California Street) from the tech-boom years of the 2010s, but the Upper Gulch still has a fraternity-house party vibe. The Lower Gulch feels closer in spirit to the edgy Tenderloin, which it borders. Come to see a lively, scrappy, down-to-earth slice of the city that's forever in transition.
