A Day in the Haight
By Sharael Feist
1999
San Francisco is known for its many different neighborhoods; this allows any type of person to find a place where they fit in. One district that welcomes a wide variety of people, yet may seem intimidating for those who are “outsiders,” is the Haight-Ashbury. The Haight is one of the most colorful, diverse, and vivacious neighborhoods in San Francisco. It gives those that live and work there a real sense of freedom in expressing themselves and being accepted just as they are.
I recently spent the day in the Haight, getting to know some locals and talking with visitors, trying to find out what attracts people to such a psychedelic, 1960s-flashback neighborhood.
Born under a wondering star, Michael Nester Marley has lived in the Haight for many years. He swears he is a distant cousin to Bob Marley. Sporting a head full of dreadlocks, offering praises to Jah, and preaching peace, his brown-skinned, weathered face showed signs of troubled times. As he stands adjacent to a mural of his “cousin Bob,” he offers advice on how to make the world a better place to live.
“You can’t judge people by the color of their skin. It’s all in your mind. You have to accept people for what they are,” said Marley. “You have to feel Shangri-La, it’s inside of you,” Marley continued. “It makes you understand and tolerate the world. Ricky Nelson said, ‘You can’t please everyone, so you have to please yourself.’ If I can’t find peace within myself, how can I find peace in the world?”
Quoting famous musicians and philosophers, this gentle Rastafarian seems to really understand what it takes to have peace between any color, race, or religion. He seems to have read a lot, listened to every word he has been told, and kept mental notes of meaningful phrases so he can share his wisdom with people passing by in the Haight. He left with one last piece of advice: “The more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know.”
As I wondered down the street amongst stores with windows showing tie-dyed shirts and “tobacco” paraphernalia, we decided to stop in at one intriguing shop called Euphoria. This place was filled wall-to-wall with neon clothing, candles, incense, Grateftul Dead shirts and posters, temporary tattoos, black light posters, bead necklaces, tarot cards, anything and everything you might need to help you on your path of self-discovery. I briefly chatted with Shivanii Sing, an employee for two years. She filled me in on the history of the shop. She said it is owned by Jim Siegel. Apparently Siegel has lived in San Francdiso his whole life and his first store was call The White Rabbit. It was a similar type of place, but was destroyed in a fire in the mid-1970s.
According to Singh, legend has it that when retail stores started opening in the Haight, there was much rebellion. She said that Thrifty and McDonald’s opened and were continuously attacked with firebombs, showing the resistance to mainstream stores. She also said that when The Gap attempted to open a store, its windows were broken every day for just about a month.
Ken Meade, who has been working at Euphoria for four years, explained why he likes living and working in the Haight. He said the thing he likes the most is that everyone is very accepting of each other.
“I was raised on Cole Street, here in the Haight,” Meade said. “I feel this neighborhood has a deep sense of community. Everyone that lives here has the attitude ‘let’s all be funky together,’ no matter what your gig is. You can be a punker, mod, deadhead, it doesn’t matter, you will be accepted. Anything goes. The mysticism of 1967 is an enigma that has carried over to the 90s,” Meade continued. “I worked in the corporate world and hated it. Working in the Haight allows me to have a job I enjoy and I get to meet nice people.”
I was eager to continue my adventure of this multifaceted neighborhood. I walked passed a bookstore called Booksmith. I remembered having heard that this bookstore was famous for having well-known authors do book-signings there. So I peeked my head in.
The manager, Gary Frank, was reluctant to talk with me, but after some prodding I did get him to tell me that the store had been there for 21 years and they have had famous authors such as Hunter S. Thompson, Ann Rice, Terry McMillian, and Ray Bradbury do book-signings. He said he thinks the store has been so successful because of their unique stock of books.
“We try to make an effort to stock more unusual books,” Frank said. “We are different from superstore chains that tend to be more generic. We import books and sell small press titles.”
The Haight is also known for it’s eclectic restaurants and bars. One of the most popular restaurants among locals is Cha Cha Cha. It seemed as though it would be a sin to leave the Haight without sinking my teeth into some savory Cuban-Caribbean morsels.
As I set foot into this energetic restaurant my eyes were quickly drawn to the miniature shrines mounted high on the walls, each one a little bit different. There was music playing with a good drumbeat that seemed to be keeping the wait staff uplifted as they bounced around delivering succulent dishes.
As I sat and drooled over the menu, my waiter quickly approached and introduced himself as Marcus. He helped guide me in our selection and I ended up choosing the fried Plantains and black beans, the Jamaican Jerk Chicken, and the spicy potatoes. Of course, I had to try their famous Sangria.
The food was delicious, the atmosphere worldly, the staff friendly and helpful, and the prices moderate.
With a full belly and fuzzy head, we treaded on back in to the heart of the Haight. This time my curiosity was smitten as we passed by a tattoo parlor. I went in. In the front was a clothing store selling lots of tight black leather outfits. At the back of the store was the tattoo counter. In front of the counter was a glass case with a mixture of hoops and studs for body piercing. The lady behind the counter said that the belly button is the most popular place to have pierced, although they can pierce whatever you want.
I noticed a tall, thin teenager looking slightly nervous. I approached him and asked if he was having a tattoo done. He said yes, and I asked if I could join him in this life-changing event. He agreed.
His name was Jason Cortez. Hi is 18 and just graduated from high school. He said getting a tattoo was his rite of passage into manhood. He chose to get a tattoo of a Chinese symbol representing honor and glory. Hi brother Greg was there for moral support.
Cortex said, “I was supposed to get one with my friend, but he chickened out.”
When I asked him if he was nervous he said, “I’m a little scared. People tell me it hurts the most where the skin is thin, so having it on my shoulder shouldn’t be too bad.”
We walked past the counter into the tattoo room. We were greeted by the tattoo artist, Tennessee Dave. He was covered with tattoos and had plugs in his earlobes, which stretched them out like something you’d see in an African tribe in National Geographic. He was very cordial. He said he has been doing tattoos for more than six years.
“I’ve been tattooed all over, from one coast to the other, ” Dave said with a smirk.
He had Cortez sit in something that resembled a dentist’s chair and offered advice to Cortez: “Remember to breath, and don’t make any sudden movements.” Cortez’s face showed signs of tension. As Dave tried to calm Cortez’s nerve there was a radio loudly blasting hard-core, death-rock tunes right above the chair, which seemed contradictory.
First Dave put on protective gloves, cleaned Cortez’s arm with what seemed to be rubbing alcohol, then shaved what little hair there was on Cortez’s shoulder. He then applied a stencil outlining the tattoo, turned on his electric needle and began. At the first poke Cortez’s face clenched. Dave said that he would start with the small lines first, so Cortez could get used to it. Cortez was a trooper. The rest of us sat there in awe as his skin was being transformed into a permanent piece of art.
In a matter of 15 minutes and for a mere 50 bucks, Cortez was a tattooed man. Proudly showing us his new decoration he said, “It didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would.”
As I continued on down the street, I stopped and listened to a group of teenagers singing and playing musical instruments. One guy was playing bongo drums, a girl was playing finger symbols and singing, one guy was playing guitar, and a couple others were dancing. They were surprisingly good. They kept my attention. They were dressed in oversized clothing, tie-dyed shirts, and one guy had dreadlocks and one girl had braids. They were casual in a deadhead way. And all of their heads were adorned with birthday hats. In between sets I asked them whose birthday it was and one of the guys exclaimed nonchalantly, “Jerry Garcia, of course.”
I later asked the guy playing the drums what their story was. His name was David Mann. He was from Boulder, Colorado. He said they all just met that day and began singing together to celebrate Jerry’s birthday and to try to make some spare change to get something to eat. He made drums and was traveling trying to sell them, and just meeting people, going to concerts, and hanging out along the way.
There seems to be a real acceptance among the youth of the Haight. They really understand each other. A lot of them are in the same situation—homeless, trying to find themselves. This creates a real bond.
As I was contemplating this, a guy walked by with a florescent yellow Mohawk, and I just had to hear what his view on this neighborhood was. His name was Shawn Lear and he works at a psychedelic store called the Lost Horizon. He moved to the Haight from Kentucky two years ago. He discussed with me why he likes the Haight.
“The Haight is a community that is closest to Utopia. Everyone gets along. It could be a model to the world because it shows people what life could be like if people were a little more accepting,” said Lear.
He did admit that the Haight does have its problems, like drugs, theft, and homelessness. But he said, “These are problems all over the city, no just in the Haight.”
He said that he enjoys living in the Haight and on the day we met he said that what I found to be striking (his yellow Mohawk) was really mellow compared to the way some people dress. Lear went on to explain, “It takes a certain amount of acceptance to live and work in the Haight. People here don’t even blink and eye at how people look, no matter how wild or crazy.”
I quickly figured this out. We encountered many creatively dressed people that day. Those who weren’t afraid to be themselves.
I also met a couple that caught my eye. Another punk-type appearance that I found to be intriguing was that of Rev. David Apocalypse and Jenny Glazer. Their colorfulness was quite photogenic. It turned out that Apocalypse is a circus performer. He swallows fire and sticks knives down his throat. You just never know whom you’ll meet in the Haight. It attracts people from all walks of life.
After having spent the day getting to know the people who live in and visit the Haight, I found it to be a real eye-opener. It can be an intimidating neighborhood for those who are afraid to leave their comfort zone. But for those who choose to venture out, the Haight can be very welcoming. You might even learn something about yourself and gain an understanding of those people who may seem different from you on the outside, yet are indeed the same as you on the inside. Keep an open mind and explore this colorful and vivacious part of San Francisco, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.