Tom’s Place

Described as a leatherman’s guesthouse, this Castro Edwardian, basically a private home furnished with dusty antiques and faded family photos, caters to gay men with very specific sexual tastes. Suffice it to say the cold, damp, dingy garage houses a playroom equipped with toys, videos, and a medical exam table complete with stirrups that’s a major draw for all-​night parties on Dore Alley and Folsom Street Fair weekends. Tom himself is friendly and very laid back, but not much of an innkeeper — the two modestly-​furnished guest rooms share a bath that desperately needs a good scrubbing, towels are threadbare, and morning coffee is strictly a make-​it-​yourself affair. Recommended only for those tourists in search of sex rather than sightseeing, who would probably rate it five stars.