Wear Flowers In Your Hair On Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, California
Written: Nov 07 '00 (Updated Jan 19 '03)
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Pros: Historical street if you are a babyboomer; lots of "cute" stores
Cons: People hanging out may make you feel uncomfortable
The Bottom Line: Haight Ashbury has a lot to offer. Whether it is sightseeing or for the memories, you will enjoy the area.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Haight Ashbury |
Review Topic: OverviewI was a hippie although my daughter’s professor told her that unless I had lived on a commune, I really wasn’t. I am not sure where that comes from because I believe in self-perceptions and in the 60’s that is how I saw myself. Others also saw me as that, perhaps some didn’t.
To me being a hippie was more what you believed in, how you looked and how you lived. It really wasn’t unlike any other label we give people: yuppies, suburbanites, single mom, etc.
I had never been to San Francisco thus I had never been on Haight Street. We were on vacation in San Francisco and decided to take a day trip to Haight Ashbury. When my husband and I first got off the bus, I had a strange feeling as if I were waiting for something to happen. The street looked so “normal.” Of course in the year 2000 it is.
Can you guess what is on the corner of Haight and Ashbury Streets? I’ll tell you at the end of my review! Actually there is no sign for Ashbury Street. My guess is that with both Haight and Ashbury sings up, they would both be continually stolen. Without Ashbury, Haight is not as desirable a sign to have.
I had an odd sense of déjà vu. You have to understand that Haight-Ashbury symbolized the flower children and it was where “peace, love and happiness” and the symbols of these which have recently become so popular began.
For about ½ hour of walking and browsing in the many stores that run along the street, my husband felt uncomfortable. He couldn’t quite pinpoint the why of the feeling but said he felt “out of his element.” The side of the street on which we were walking faces Golden Gate Park and the stores are filled with hippie memorabilia as well as new merchandise for hippie wanna-bes. Perhaps if we had started on the other side he would have felt better. The stores on this side are upscale and although you won’t find Bloomingdale’s here, you will find expensive non-mainstream clothing.
The clothes were right for the area, though. To me nothing felt out of place but my husband. The fact also that we were there early and we saw no signs of tourists made him more uncomfortable. He didn’t even want me taking pictures at this point. If you can empathize with what he was feeling I would suggest visiting early in the afternoon.
There were many young people hanging out and many older people who still seem to be living in the 60s. I said to him “We belong here, they don’t” referring to the young people who were truly making him uneasy. This is our street. They should be the uneasy ones, not you!. That said and the fact that tourists started arriving with cameras calmed him down and I did get a picture of the Haight Street sign.
A lunch recommendation: The Citrus Club is about ¾ of the way down on the right hand side of the street facing Golden Gate Park. I’m being so descriptive because we missed it a couple of times. We were meeting a cousin who lives in the area and eats here all the time. It is a small Thai restaurant and excellent. The food is unusual. I had a Thai peanut noodle dish. It was delicious, with chicken, vegetables and noodles mixed together and tossed in peanut sauce. A tad on the spicy side for $6.95.
My husband and cousin got soup. The bowl was gigantic, for sure a meal and meant to be eaten as one. That was also $6.95.
Stop in at Ameoba – the biggest record store I’ve ever seen. You’ll find used and new CDs, tapes and used albums. The most obscure music can be found here. They have a directory of their inventory making it easy to find what you are looking for. I bought a CD there. This is a real treat of a store.
I couldn’t leave without a souvenir and settled on a Haight-Ashbury cap.
Dress in layers if you go to San Francisco. The weather changes more than it does in New England. Mark Twain said “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”
Now for the answer to what is on the corner of Haight-Ashbury…The Gap and Ben & Jerry’s. (Go ahead, have an ice cream.)
If you would like to read my San Francisco series the links are below:
Haight Ashbury
National Car Rental, Do The Driving Yourself
I Am A Rock, I Am An Island: Alcatraz Island
Muir Woods, An I Wood Do
From Chinatown To North Beach
The Stinking Rose Restaurant
American Airlines
Santa Cruz Boulevard
Neptune's Palace Restaurant
Recommended:
Yes
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