There are bars and record shops filled with Jersey Girls, Berkeley grads, and environmentally correct slackers. Rehab centers and clothing boutiques also color the main drag of Haight Street from Divisidaro to Stanyan. The Intersection of Haight and Ashbury was the gathering place for many of the idealistic people who made up the 1960’s famous ‘Summer of Love’. Some of these gypsies still remain on this famous corner, playing guitars and studying their faces in the windows of modern retail giants such as The Gap, and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.
Suburbanites and city dwellers do shop here, but it’s also a prime tourist stop for many out of town visitors both young and old. For another view of the Haight, visit Golden Gate Parks eight-block panhandle, which slices this neighborhood in half with a swath of majestic trees, an urban playground for running dogs, basketball players, baby walkers, and early morning Tai Chi practitioners. Gorgeous, century-old Victorian houses dominate the area residential streets and walking around is well worth the time.
Red Vic Movie House: A cozy movie house for rep, cult and premiere independent films at noninflated moviegoing prices. Sip some coffee or tea (drinks come in real mugs and glasses!), munch popcorn (with or without yeast) or other organic treats and sit snugly on one of the couches or theater seats. Pick up a month-by-month calendar at the front window. 1727 Haight St., (415) 668-3994.
Corner of Haight & Ashbury: Photo courtesty of Daniel Schwen. Back in the mid-1960s, this was perhaps the most famous intersection in the world, a place where young people came to from all over the world in search of love and peace. Some found it and some didn't, but that was only one chapter in this neighborhood's long and colorful history. Today it's worth a visit just to see the beautiful Victorians that surround the area. And maybe to get a Ben and Jerry's ice-cream cone, if you like that sort of thing.
Buena Vista Park: Hike, jog, walk or just lean your back against a tree in these 36 acres of forested parkland with great views of surrounding Victorians and the city. Oak and pine trees stand next to eucalyptus and Monterey cypress, with trails winding throughout. It's one of the city's oldest parks, and you can still see some fragments of headstone inscriptions in the retaining walls, which were built with granite and marble partly salvaged from former San Francisco cemeteries.
The Grateful Dead house: In the mid-'60s, the Grateful Dead lived together (with many other transients) in this 1890 Cranston-Keenan building (that's Cranston, as in former US Sen. Alan Cranston's grandfather). 710 Ashbury St.
Haight Street Fair: Every summer, locals and tourists pack the Upper Haight for the Haight Street Fair, featuring local bands, food stalls from neighborhood restaurants and, of course, plenty of shopping.
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