Haight Ashbury
About Haight Ashbury
The corner of Haight and Ashbury still draws pilgrims chasing the ghost of 1967, and while the Summer of Love has faded into legend, this neighborhood keeps its counterculture edge even as yoga studios move in next to head shops.
What to See & Do
Amoeba Music commands the corner of Haight and Stanyan in a converted bowling alley that houses more vinyl than you can browse in a lifetime. This is the destination record store that survived when all the others closed. Lose an afternoon digging through the bins.
The Victorians lining these streets rank among the finest in San Francisco. Walk the residential blocks off the main drag and you find painted facades in colors that range from elegant to psychedelic.
The vintage clothing runs deep on Haight Street. Wasteland and Buffalo Exchange anchor the scene, but smaller shops reward those willing to dig. Piedmont Boutique has dressed drag queens and club kids since 1972, its window displays visible from blocks away.
The Panhandle extends Golden Gate Park into the neighborhood, a grassy strip where drum circles still happen on sunny Sundays.
Where to Eat & Drink
Grab a crepe at Chez Maman or settle into a booth at Magnolia Brewing for pub food and house beers. Toronado pours rare Belgian ales and American craft selections with zero pretense and zero patience for indecision. Know what you want before you reach the bar.
The Character
The Haight maintains a scruffy independence that most gentrified neighborhoods lost years ago. Head shops next to yoga studios. Vintage stores next to juice bars. The street kids who panhandle on the sidewalks coexist with the tech workers who moved in for the Victorian apartments. It’s messier than other San Francisco neighborhoods, and that’s part of why it still works.
Getting There
The N Judah runs underground through the neighborhood, or catch the 7 Haight bus from downtown. Golden Gate Park spreads out at the western end when you need green space and quiet.
Where to Eat
All restaurants →
Things to Do
All activities →
Hippie Hill
Sunday afternoons have the best drum circles. Weekdays are mellow and mostly empty. Near the corner of Haight and Stanyan at the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park. Bring a blanket.
Loved to Death
Not for everyone, but if oddities and Victorian mourning culture interest you, this is one of the best curated shops of its kind. On Haight Street between Ashbury and Clayton. Free to browse.
Alvord Lake Bridge
Easy to walk right past without noticing. Look for the fake stalactites hanging from the arch at the Haight Street entrance to Golden Gate Park near Stanyan. One of the first reinforced concrete bridges in America.
Buena Vista Park Tombstones
Look at the stone borders of the footpaths as you hike through the park. Fragments of old cemetery headstones are built into the walkways. Buena Vista Park is at Haight and Lyon, uphill from the Lower Haight.
Legs of Haight Street
Look up at the second-story window of Piedmont Boutique on Haight Street near Masonic. Giant mannequin legs in fishnet stockings, there since the 1970s. A 30-second photo stop while walking the Haight.
Jack’s Record Cellar
Open Saturdays only, 2pm to 7pm. The owner knows every record in the place. On Haight Street. If you collect vinyl, plan your visit around this narrow window. More neighborhood ritual than retail.
