By Melissa Lin
Bohemian culture is the idea that there is no one correct way of “living a life”but a plentitude of alternative lifestyle choices. This idea has been used to describe the post-punk, urban environment of many cities. Featuring a more relaxed yet sarcastic “in your face” attitude ,everything Bohemian is a radical contrast to the suburban lifestyle that typifies most of America.
Within San Francisco, thereis a famous street named Haight. Socially, it is divided into two parts. The first is the much-publicized Upper Haight, known for being the heart of the hippie movement in the latter half of the 1960’s to the end of the decade in the 1970’s. The second, not as notorious internationally but considered more important to local residents, is the Lower Haight.
Walking down this portion of Haight Street enables one to discover a bizarre, eclectic potpourri of cultures thrown together in a melting pot. The resulting combination is unique to this San Francisco landmark. In a neighborhood of old,slightly run-down Victorian housing, San Franciscans and visitors can find many eccentric treats. This area harmoniously blends the arts,crafts, music, and cuisines not only of under-privileged white America but also draws from African American and Asian influences, thus addingan urban hippie edge.
Lower Haight Street started its modern incarnation as an outgrowth of the hippie culture prevalent inthe upper Haight (the area of the Haight next to Golden Gate Park).Over time, the Lower Haight moved away from its pure hippie origins.Historically, the Lower Haight never had the influence and money of the“Upper Haight.” Given its closeness to several housing projects, the Lower Haight has become slightly more rundown when compared to its morelionized neighboring community. However, the lower real estate valuesof the area and its geographically-accessible location that overlapsmany diverse economic areas made Lower Haight more receptive to outside influences, leading it toward its present-day persona as a mixing bowl of urban culture.
During the daytime, store fronts open with showcases of mixed goodies catering to a uniquely urban hippie crowd. Lining the street are many small fashion boutiques displaying clothing and accessories from the Beatnik generation to more modern surplus military gear. Beyond the fashionable, and more toward the cultural, several record stores line the street along with four art galleries and several alternative medicinal herbal stores, competing side by side with a Walgreen’s Pharmacy. This Walgreen’s location remains the center of controversy to local residents since it is theonly chain store in the area. The rest of the retail venues remain locally-owned and as such, are able to keep the eccentric brand of zanies that characterizes this neighborhood.
Conversely,despite the diversity in retail stores, the gustatory delights available in the area intensely highlight the neighborhood’s bohemian nature. At the periphery of Lower Haight lies the ultimate hippie restaurant, an organic vegetarian place. At the other end of the street, a Southern-style barbecue restaurant featuring hickory-roasted baby back ribs claims its turf. In between the two restaurants, a mix of more traditional “American” dining choices target hungry appetites,ranging from hamburger stands to Pizza “by the slice” hole-in-the-walleateries. However, in between the numerous hippie and urban stores, a Vietnamese Pho noodle house, a Thai restaurant, a Mexican Burrito cantina, and an Indian restaurant are thrown in for good measure. Numerous bars also line the street, playing juke box music all day long.
When the sun sets, the atmosphere changes completely as the day’s relaxationturns into a night’s revelry. Lower Haight is famous among local San Franciscans for its “alternative” night life. The street’s art galleries, during the early evening hours, open their doors and have weekly to bi-weekly art openings that highlight the works of local artists. Art lovers from all over the city converge to see the neighborhood’s concentration of artwork created by urban artists. Soon after 10:00 p.m., the area’s nightclubs open for business, catering toa mix of yuppies from Pacific Heights to gang bangers from the nearby housing projects. Every imaginable music genre is found in the clubs,which ranges from Jamaican, hip hop, old school rock and roll, to country music. Lower Haight is also home to several “underground” clubs that cater to the Raver Generation, playing electronic music from sunset to sunrise.
Lower Haight lies close to the center of San Francisco. Situated just east of the famous “Haight”neighborhood of hippie fame, but also south of the gentrified PacificHeights and west of the emerging Tenderloin District (at the edge ofLower Nob Hill), Lower Haight is a true cultural fusion of San Francisco’s lifestyles, drawing in a little bit of something from everyone and then redefining these influences to something very “Lower Haight.” The neighborhood might seem grungy, slightly dirty, and Goth-edgy to some habitués but Lower Haight remains one of the heartbeats and centers of San Francisco’s avant garde cultural scene.
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