by Tamar Love Grande
Published 2001 on SFStation.com
Bordered by Stanyan on the west and Central on the east, the Upper Haight is a splendid agora of thrift shops, ethnic restaurants, specialty stores and hip couture--plus miles and miles of tie-dyed fabric. Even though it's no longer 1968, the Summer of Love is alive and well on Haight Street, where locals in search of a bargain or a tasty bite thread past stunned tourists, glassy-eyed junkies, twitchy street people, Marin runaways, trendy teens and packs of leather-studded dogs, all the while hearing a faint, ubiquitous murmur: buds? doses? we got the kind bud...
Those with a sense of history will remember the Haight as a hippie haven during the late 60s and early 70s, a wonderland of psychedelics, free love and local celebrities like Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, whose Ashbury and Waller house was featured prominently on the cover of the first issue of Rolling Stone. That wonderland is resurrected every June at the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair, an annual institution since 1978, where food and trinket vendors vie with musicians for the attention of the thousand-plus attendees, a surreal combination of yuppies, punks, hippies, dot-commers, suburbanites and stoners.
But the Haight isn't just about hippies and dope: it's also about dollars. Spending them, anyway. You can unload a pretty penny at Shoe Biz, a haute reseller of Camper, Wosh, Diesel and other fancy-yet-frivolous footwear. Don't be afraid of attitude: the charming staff will make you feel like a swan even if you're an ugly duckling. The same is true at Ambiance, where you can find gorgeous dresses, diaphanous gowns, sweet suits and snazzy separates galore, along with all the glitzy, glamorous accessories you could ever want. Pocketbook a bit light? Check out the jewelry counter for affordable, stunning beads and bangles. Pocketbook really light? Head over to Wasteland, a hip consignment/secondhand/thrift store selling faux fur coats, lush kimono, broken-in Levi's and funky little T-shirts amidst an atmosphere of urban funk and sprightly creativity. Take your old clothes with you when you go: Wasteland will give you a good price for them--if your togs are hip enough.
After you've outfitted yourself, stop in at Planetweavers, a quirky little gift shop that sells wooden musical instruments, cards, books, candles, jewelry and other UNICEF-sponsored goods, or Mendels Art Supplies, where you can find everything from feathers to fun fur. One of the most frequented shops, the Ashbury Tobacco Center is legendary for its beautifully crafted glass bongs ... uh ... water pipes, a Haight tradition. You can also browse through a rich selection of tobaccos, pipe stems and papers. If you have any money left, spend it at Amoeba Music, where you'll find a vast selection of music from all genres, or at The Booksmith, a local independent that hosts an excellent monthly reading series.
If you're all about food and fun, the Haight is your place. Cha Cha Cha is still the best place in SF for tapas, despite the crowd and the wait. Make sure to get the potatoes, the garlic shrimp and the fried plantains--and don't forget the sangria. If burritos are more your thing, head to Balazo, home of the biggest, cheapest tastiest burrito outside the Mission, or go across the street to Sweet Heat, Balazo's zippier cousin, where you can get a scallop burrito with a spicy-tangy chile sauce and a premium margarita that will knock your socks off. Other ethnic eateries include Masawa, arguably the best Eritrian food in town, and Truly Mediterranean, a quickie-shawerma chain diner. Or try everyone's perennial favorite, All You Knead, where the scruffy-looking booths don't deter customers from scarfing down hearty omelets or massive veggie burritos. If you're in the mood for something light, try the People's Café, purveyor of fine coffees and tasty little salads. People watching is a big bonus: the café's large plate-glass windows afford an unparalleled view of the street. After dinner, catch a movie at the Red Vic Movie House, a super-cheap repertory theater showing foreign, art and cult movies nightly, or sip a martini at Club Deluxe while you listen to hot local swing and rockabilly.
The Grateful Dead's House
710 Ashbury St.
(Ashbury @ Waller)
Haight-Ashbury Street Fair
952 Ashbury St.
(between Piedmont and Clifford)
415.661.8025
Shoe Biz
1446 Haight St.
(between Ashbury and Masonic)
415.861.3005
Ambiance
1458 Haight St.
(between Ashbury and Masonic)
415.552.5095
Wasteland
1660 Haight St.
(Haight @ Cole)
415.863.3150
Planetweavers
1573 Haight St.
(Haight @ Clayton)
415.864.4415
Mendel's Art Supplies
1556 Haight St.
(between Clayton and Ashbury)
415.621.1287
Ashbury Tobacco Center
1524 Haight St.
(Haight @ Ashbury)
415.552.5556
Amoeba Music
1855 Haight St.
(Haight @ Stanyan)
415.831.1200
The Booksmith
1644 Haight St.
(Haight @ Belvedere)
415.863.8688
Cha Cha Cha
1801 Haight St.
(Haight @ Shrader)
415.386.5758
Balazo
1654 Haight St.
(Haight @ Belvedere)
415.864.8608
Sweet Heat
1725 Haight St.
(Haight @ Cole)
415.387.8845
Masawa
1538 Haight St.
(Haight @ Ashbury)
415.621.4129
Truly Mediterranean
1724 Haght St.
(Haight @ Cole)
415.751.7482
All You Knead
1466 Haight St.
(Haight @ Masonic)
415.552.4550
People's Café
1419 Haight St.
(Haight @ Masonic)
415.553.8842
Red Vic Movie House
1727 Haight St.
(between Cole and Shrader)
415.668.3994
Club Deluxe
1511 Haight St.
(Haight @ Ashbury)
415.552.6949
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