The Balboa theater is Simply the best neighborhood theatre in San Francisco. (Okay, the Castro and the Roxie are certainly contendors, but I’m biased, as it takes me only about two minutes to walk to the Balboa). Unpretentious. Excellent popcorn. If you get on the mailing list, owner Gary Meyer will keep you updated on upcoming shows and special events. Manager Roger seems to really dig his job. So does the hottie who has practically grown up tearing tickets there. Almost three years ago, when she sold us our tickets one quiet evening, she told us she was about to celebrate her 17th birthday. She’d never had a cake before. Her hair and her stockings change with the times. She’s an absolute charm.

All of the films are double features, the popcorn is always fresh, and you can fill up on Dibs. They used to sell Its Its, but sadly, the Its Its have gone the way of the old-fashioned popcorn buckets (just recently, they converted to bags). Before they updated the bathrooms to be wheelchair accessible, they had this wonderful ladies’ room that was shabby chic before shabby chic was, well, chic, with a torn old sofa and a big mirror. Now you have to pee the modern way, sans salon, but the Balboa has managed to magically retain a feel for the old and elegant.

Currently, the Balboa is home to Howard Stein’s Last Frame of Picture: Needles to Natchez, a traveling show of huge photos of small-town theatres across the country. Hurry–the photographs vanish on Sept. 30.