sf rec: aunt charlie’s
A few weeks ago a dear family friend invited me out for a night in San Francisco. It was a Saturday and it was the same day as the infamous Folsom Street Fair so appropriately we began with our pregame at The Mix in the Castro. It was me, my mom, Della, our host Jonathan and his sister and her husband. So, The Mix is one of those places in the Castro that everyone knows about. For me and my best friend, Dylan, we like to go there to pregame before we actually head to our main destination like Beaux, The Cafe or Badlands; RIP, only for now because they are allegedly set to reopen this year. The Mix is actually pretty grime but the appeal is their outdoor patio where we like to smoke and check people out. Of course, this applies more for Dylan but I always receive ample praise for what I’m wearing, so we’re both satisfied customers to say the least. However, this time I was with a new group and whereas we were still looking to catch for our host of the night, our results turned out to be null. The main reason for this outing was to not just grab drinks and gab but to head to Aunt Charlie’s for a good old fashioned (literally) drag show.
Aunt Charlie’s is located in the Tenderloin in SF on Turk St. and if you check out their website they say, Save the last queer bar in San Francisco’s Tenderloin and its for good reason. The cover fee is only $5 and you can also bring in your own outside food which is great because if you reserve a couple tables like we did, you can run around the corner to The Melt, grab some burgers and watch the show. The atmosphere is literally how you might imagine. From the outside it’s exterior is classic dive bar aesthetic and pretty unassuming but once you enter, it’s a different story. Initially it appears to be compact and pretty narrow with a long bar taking up most of the space and has you wondering where the performers even come from or change. Although the venue is really small it’s rich crimson interior is dimly lit, super cozy and overrun with character. Like some shit has gone down here and I want to know all about it. It’s really on trend right now even though it was founded in the 80s, with it’s trendy and retro vibe and has that scarlet, gritty lighting perfect for selfies.
Now, these ladies who are performing are…well, they’re no “spring queens.” I think that Jonathan, our group leader, was paranoid that I wasn’t going to have fun because these drag queens have most likely been around since the bar’s inception but he was so, so wrong. This made it even better. The absolute star was Donna Personna who was giving looks, wigs, multiple outfits changes and was lip syncing like her rent was due at the Chelsea Hotel. It’s one of those special places in San Francisco that you have to visit at least once, but recommended to see whenever you can and with as many different friends as possible. Despite Aunt Charlie’s being entertaining it really is a cornerstone and a pillar of San Francisco that represents everything we believe in: inclusivity, diversity and cheap drinks and cheaper drag queens.
