Haight Ashbury

One of my favorite neighborhoods of San Francisco — the iconic counterculture vibe runs through the streets and is ever so infectious. Here you can find an eclectic range of stores representing a wide range of fashion tastes, book tastes, and an uniqueness that’s unlikely to be replicated anywhere else. Every store has its own character and so tempting to visit every one of them. The storefronts and the exterior walls are not shy of graffiti art and expressive decors.
A stroll from lower haight to the golden gate park takes you through the best of Haight Ashbury. A place that’s difficult to forget.

A historic neighborhood, though the Summer of Love was a couple of years before I was born I still have heard about Haight and Ashbury. Sadly, the bus tour brought me here on a Sunday morning and it was still way to early for much of the area to have come to life.
Great graffiti if that’s something you’re into capturing. Also many store front are brightly painted and well worth a look.
On the way back to the bus stop, I could very strongly smell the wacky tobaccy. I think I got a second hand high. Duuuuuude.

Vibrant & Eclectic Neighbourhood with a Hippie Vibe, Lots of Character & History, & Unique Shops — Great Place to Stroll, Explore and People-​Watch!
My mother and I visited the neighbourhood of Haight-​Ashbury during the afternoon of July 30^th and again on the afternoon of August 1^st. Haight Street is easily accessible via public transport (MUNI bus).
Haight-​Ashbury is an eclectic, vibrant and interesting neighbourhood in SF with a unique, laid-​back and hippie vibe. The neighbourhood has a lot of character and the main avenue, Haight Street, is lined with unique and independent local shops (smoke shops, vintage thrift shops, bookstores, music and movie stores, tattoo parlours and more), cafes, sidewalk markets, and lots of restaurants. Haight Street was crowded and there were lots of people walking the sidewalks in the afternoon. However, when we wandered off Haight onto the residential side streets, there was nobody else there and it was so peaceful, calm and quiet, which was great considering how close these areas were to the bustling and vibrant Haight Street itself.
We walked from Golden Gate Park and then continued along Haight Street towards Buena Vista Park. I enjoyed visiting the Haight Street Market, where I found a large variety and great selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. The most iconic intersection in the neighbourhood is that of the streets Haight and Ashbury. During the 1960s, this was the corner where the hippie counterculture movement comprised mostly of young people, would gather. What can now be found at this corner, is a clock attached to the corner of a building that is permanently set to the time 4:20. Also at this famous intersection, is a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop, where my mother and I sampled a delicious (but expensive) bowl of ice cream.
While strolling down Haight Street, I loved checking out some of the many local and independent shops, that are completely unique to San Francisco and specifically, this street. I explored thrift shops selling vintage clothing and mementos, book stores and even a smoke shop (the young male cashier who sold me a SF magnet was completely high on drugs and could barely complete the transaction! It was hilarious to watch). I also enjoyed seeing some of the beautiful and colourful murals that were painted on the walls of buildings on some of the side streets stemming off of Haight.
Also along Haight Street sticking outside of a second floor window of one of the buildings, was fake female legs with fishnet stockings, looking like they were kicking the air! Very interesting indeed.
I found the entire neighbourhood and the people living/​walking around there, to be absolutely fascinating and very unique! The people-​watching opportunities were abundant and fantastic and I observed many interesting characters (for example, two men walking down Haight Street completely naked and confident; a man singing very loudly on a street corner; young and homeless looking backpackers openly selling marijuana to passersby; people with hair colours that resembled the rainbow, and much more). There were quite a few homeless and substance-​addicted individuals congregating on certain street corners along Haight, to the point where there was a strong police presence in some areas. But, I felt very safe wandering around this neighbourhood during the daytime. You will also probably notice the strong aroma of marijuana wafting around everywhere. If this bothers you, just be aware that this is what the Haight neighbourhood is like.
I also thoroughly enjoyed venturing off of Haight Street and wandering through the residential side streets and neighbourhoods to admire the beautiful Victorian houses. The streets were very steep and walking almost vertically uphill was challenging, but it was worth it. The old houses were so pretty and painted in a wide variety of bright and beautiful colours, and they all had such unique and detailed architecture. My favourite row of houses was located on Central Avenue, just north of Haight. The colours were so bright, vibrant and beautiful!
After exploring some of the residential areas, we discovered the gorgeous, peaceful and quiet Buena Vista Park. The park consisted of a huge hill, covered in dense foliage, with pathways spiraling up the hill to the top. My mother and I were the only people in the park during our afternoon visit, and I loved walking uphill through the forest in such a peaceful and calm atmosphere/​environment! At the top of the hill, was a lookout area with a park bench and a clearing in the trees which overlooked the entire city! The panoramic views were absolutely incredible and I couldn’t believe how high we were standing above the city. It was so amazing to be able to enjoy and savour the view in complete silence and being surrounded by such natural beauty.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience exploring Haight Street and the surrounding residential neighbourhood! It felt authentic.

Hippie haven! Reminds me of my city’s Delmar Loop neighborhood. Packed with smoke shops, skater shops, music shops, incense burning, cafes, small health food grocers, beautiful graffiti artwork along the blocks, fashion forward pedestrians, tattoo parlors, loud radios blaring from storefronts and picturesque views EVERYWHERE!
Definitely a place to be… if only for a moment, you’ve gotta experiment Haight-​Ashbury glory.
~Christy said so.

Mi barrio preferido en San Francisco (no para vivir, pero sí para visitar). Es el barrio hippie de la ciudad, lugar donde este bonito movimiento nació y del que ahora se ha hecho más bien un lugar turístico y comercial. Eso sí, las tiendas son para no cerrar la boca, yo ahí me vuelvo loca de remate.
Tiendas vintage (pero vintage de verdad! Y además increíbles de bonitas, cuidadas y bien decoradas), tiendas de música, de fumeteo, de cosas raras (hay una tienda donde todo está muerto dentro, digna de entrar y ver). También hay tiendas de estética hippie y algunos bares y restaurantes. Para mi es de visita obligada cada vez que voy a San Francisco.

Aus Versehen in den falschen Bus eingestiegen und man landet in Ashbury! :) Wunderschöné, alternative Gegend.

wurde uns als super alternatives Viertel empfohlen, was von den Menschen her stimmt. allerdings habe ich es mir etwas ärmlich vorgestellt mit Kiffern auf der Straße und eben Menschen mit schmalem Geldbeutel. Aber die Second Hand Läden sind verdammt teuer und die Menschen die dort leben scheinen nicht an der Armutsgrenze leben zu müssen. daher enttäuschend für uns, da wir uns was anderes vorgestellt haben

Es un sitio muy bonito, es la imagen que todos tenemos de aquella mítica serie de los ochenta ‘padres Forzosos’, es donde ellos teoricamente vivian, es una subida donde hay las casitas todas iguales, realmenteson muy chulas, y delante tienen un parque con cesped muy bien cuidado, es un sitio que vale la pena ver pero tampoco dedicarle mucho tiempo ya que la ciudad tiene muchos sitios que merecen mas la pena

Pour ceux qui ont oublié que SF fut dans les années 60 70 un haut lieu du flower power et des mouvements hippies, il faut aller se ressources au croisement des rue Haight et Ashbury. Aujourd’hui il reste quelques vestiges même si le quartier est devenu très bobo. A voir absolument pour son côté décalé

The allure of the Haight with its Summer of Love history, laid-​back vibe and amazing architecture drew me in right away.
The romantic lore continues to be a magnet but the reality of it is the Haight is filled with a mix of people and problems that make it an interesting neighborhood to visit but maybe not to live unless you’re off the main drag on quiet, leafy streets like Clayton, Belvedere and Page.
Lost young kids still seem to roam the streets in packs (usually dressed in later versions of whatever clothing you’re wearing from J. Crew, Garnet Hill and Anthropologie) begging for money for «food.» They can be very aggressive and the best strategy is to keep moving and ignore them.
Old head shops mix with an assortment of upscale stores and reasonably priced restaurants offering an assortment of dining choices. Bars, brewpubs and restaurants spill people into the street through open vitrines giving the neighborhood a lively, jovial vibe.
Like Bourbon Street in NOLA, the main drag is dirty (watch your step!) but the mix of old, new, funky, useful and intriguing will draw you in.
There are great bookstores and quirky retail shopping if you know where to look for the gems and Haight Street offers one of the best grocery stores (Haight Street Market) that’s an excellent place to pick up picnic supplies and head to Golden Gate Park or to stock up for your weekly shopping.
Bring an abundance of patience for pedestrians who haphazardly cross in mini-​packs, leaving you sitting at a stop sign wondering if you’ll ever make it to the next block. Look for an opening and carefully move forward — and use the streets parallel to Haight for less frustrating transit and better parking options.