If there's any area
of San Francisco that evokes
images of the long-gone '60s
hippie culture, the Haight
is it. Fragments of that
flower-power,
incense-burning,
acid-dropping,
tie-dye-wearing,
peace-and-love-vibing era
can be purchased at smoke
shops and Eastern-influenced
outlets bearing names like
Dreams of Kathmandu, Pipe
Dreams and The Love of
Ganesha. But save for a few
hippie relics, the Haight
today is a whole new scene.
Exclusive boutiques,
high-end vintage-clothing
shops, second-hand stores,
Internet cafés and hip
restaurants have all settled
in, making the Haight one of
San Francisco's commercial
centers. Still Tripping
Neo-punks, club kids,
fashionites, tourists and
neighborhood folks are
equally at home here,
whether they have come to
get a new piercing, grab a
burrito, find the latest
drum 'n' bass 12-inch or
just people-watch from a
café. But there are two
distinctly different areas
of the Haight: The Upper
Haight, which stretches from
Stanyan to Masonic, is the
more moneyed shopping zone,
though it deteriorates a bit
where it stretches toward
Golden Gate Park. Meanwhile,
the Lower Haight, roughly
Divisidero to Webster, is a
more diverse neighborhood
with a grittier feel. While
it has been an alternate
nightlife hub for years,
with bars like Noc Noc and
Mad Dog and popular clubs
the Top and Nickie's, the
Lower Haight has become a
main draw among DJs and
ravers with the
proliferation of dance-music
record shops and clubs like
The Top.
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