The Hippie World of the Haight/Ashbury Neighborhood

In my short time living in San Francisco , I had noticed the street movements of the Haight more than any others. The fog rolls in late at night or early in mornings. The buses only travel on the main streets like Haight, Masonic and those connecting. With a college-aged crowd drawing its residents from the outside of the area, many travelers stop by in groups or alone. The scene around this nostalgic neighborhood is the weirdest thing about it.

Since the 1960's this has been a popular haunt for the drug engulfed cultural types. Marijuana is legal throughout all of Northern California , so those who smoke or eat it are just the alternative class. It's not just green concerned health conciencous model citizen that hangs around here. The upper class, hard working average Joe is commonly seen turning his shoulder to various travelers. These are the easy going tattooed, party-goers who like world music and asking for a hand out every so often. Still in 2010, a similar hippie's trend visits the Haight.

In fact many notoriously known hippies made their mark on the Haight area. While I have never heard anyone jamming out on guitars or full bend equipment, once they did here. The grooving pad of the Grateful Dead is located at 710 Ashbury St . This is just a short walk from the Panhandle Park centered in a large rectangular patch of land just outside of the Golden Gate Park . Currently someone lives there as it is just another house. The best remembered theme from this group are the large walking teddy bears splashed in different colors. I am far from being a fan myself; I like to listen to this group when I can. One of my favorite songs is performed by them: Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining.

Every neighborhood in this great city has its own character. Attractions and public persona. My time in the Haight has shown me the simple ways of a generation before mine. They choose to set roots in freedom and expressionism. While that's an understatement to giving the hippie era an explanation, it works for now. Those who work them across the globe and live in the wild are the kind I see being the weird status symbol. I have made a few friends and heard some strange stories about hard times and the attempts of a few to be creative. That's why I know the hippie life in its own style is the weird thing about the Haight. Without it Haight would just be another street