Lovin' the Haight

I have been waiting to write that for WEEKS!  You have no idea.  I thought of it while we were walking down the street and practically squealed at my own cleverness.  But, let me not get ahead of myself...


Monday morning we packed everything into the car and headed back to San Francisco.  It ended up being a great visit but I was excited to get back to the city.  At the risk of sounding like a douche, vineyards kind of look the same after a while and once you've ooohed and aaahed over five in a row, it loses its splendor.  I was ready for a change of scenery.  


I was a little more prepared this time and layered everything that could even remotely be considered cold-weather wear, yet I was still unprepared for the wind and the cold!  I gave up and resigned myself to being cold.  At least it wasn't as horrible as our first night there - I think the temperature actually got above 60!


We stopped at the scenic point for the Golden Gate bridge so I could get some more pictures and we walked around the fort that protected the harbor during and after the Civil War!  I'm so lame, I had no idea something like that was even there and it was such a cool bonus!

Ridiculously windy and freezing cold

Drew had to hold on to his sunglasses so they wouldn't fly away.

He was actually chilly so you know it was cold!

Do I look like Lindsay Lohan?

I know she's out of jail but I've been waiting to say that for WEEKS!

You laugh now please.

We decided against going to the hotel in favor of going straight to the spot I'd wanted to visit ever since I knew we'd be coming to Northern California:  Haight-Ashbury!  I have so much admiration for the free-living hippie lifestyle.  Not the free-loading douchebag pot-head part - the part where you have the courage to march to your own drum, where creating art is what keeps you alive.  And not the kind of art where you call yourself an artist so you don't have to get a job - I'm talking about the kind where you have to make the world more beautiful because your soul doesn't give you another choice.  I really admire people that have the courage to live like that because it's scary.  Creating art is such an intimate process - you're putting your soul out there for judgment and it's a very isolating lifestyle.  So many artists aren't understood in their own time and the ones that are still don't have it super easy.  It's a very rare artist that can support a family on their art alone and you'd have to have a very understanding significant other when you have to disappear for chunks at a time because your soul has dictated that you must create.  Most relationships don't survive when you're a true artist.  They don't call them 'tortured artists' for nothing.  Anyway, this is what Haight-Ashbury symbolizes for me and I couldn't wait to see it with my own eyes.

*Note:  This is just the way I see it.  Don't start raining fire on me saying I know nothing about art or the lifestyle.  This is my opinion, okay.  Put down the rocks.  

When we pulled onto Haight street, it was everything I thought it would be.  Color!  Music!  Incense!  I was positively giddy!

In front of the Ben and Jerry's.

Kind of random but I guess it's good for business!

Graffiti on a storefront!

Out in the open and everything!

Only in Haight-Ashbury

Boxes as art - why not?

We went into several shops and I just loved seeing all the signs boasting about their products from local artists and artisans.  In my perfect world, I would only eat things that are locally grown, wear things that are handmade by local artisans and it would all be sustainable and recyclable, 100% green, off-the-grid, all that.  Then I wake up and realize that I am a pampered city girl and I'm not nearly as close to nature as I'd like to believe I am.  I'm not down with having chickens in my backyard, composting my waste and I do love me some Target.  It takes courage to live like that!

One particular store drew me in because I could hear the chill yoga music from the street.  It was a Tibetan-type shop, with all kinds of wood carvings and trinkets.  Right when you walked in there was a giant carving that just took my breath away.

  

I stared at it for the longest time - the detail blew me away!

Too bad our homeowner's association wouldn't let us have a front door like this

Tibetan goddess

I knew I wanted to buy something from this store but I wanted to get something that really moved me.  They had handmade journals that were really beautiful but it didn't speak to me.  The cool music came from a CD that was for sale but that didn't do it for me.  I picked out a wooden bangle but I continued to walk through the store, looking for that one thing that would just call out to me.  Then I found it!  I walked by it a couple of times, almost afraid to get it because it meant that I was acknowledging, even nurturing that part of my soul that I was so afraid to indulge.  I was too afraid to have a symbol of my hope, yet I couldn't not buy it.  And I'm so glad I did!

  At home, on my dresser.

I see her every morning.

With my purchase in hand, we headed to lunch at an awesome restaurant called Cha Cha Cha.  It's a tapas place with a distinct Cuban feel because why not have a Miami-flavored restaurant in San Francisco?  I loved the decor and the cuban sandwich I had was so yummy!  The sangria went down pretty easily too!  Drew had brisket? pulled pork? tacos with fried plaintains which he graciously shared with me.  It was a great lunch, with him keeping me laughing with his stories of when he used to live in San Fran.  He was quite the wild child and we determined that from now on he has NO right to say anything to me about my past!  It's always the quiet ones...  

You may see chaos, I see awesome!

I love this red wall, but I don't know that I'd want it in my house.

It's a little bold for everyday, but I love it here!

After lunch we went to the Bettie Page clothing store.  I loooove Bettie Page!  I love all of it - the clothes, the hair, the red red lips, women who looked like women, and I think pinup girls are sooo pretty!!  I dragged Drew in there because there was no way I was going to miss this!

The clothes were the greatest, but what struck me were the simple lines.  They remained true to 1950s styling and the lines were so uncomplicated I thought maybe one day, once I got some skill, I could make dresses like that, since I'm Vera Wang and all.  I wanted to take pictures of the girls working there but I was too chicken to ask so I settled for trying on a dress and having Drew take a picture of me.

I wish I had the hair and makeup and this picture 

doesn't do it justice - the dress was FABULOUS!!

Again, if I had the courage and I could pull it off I would go full rockabilly.  Red red lips, bouffant hair and of course tons of tattoos! 

All I see is awesome!

I even went into an anarchy bookstore!  I'm sure they were wondering what this short little brown girl was doing in there, since there were nothing but young white boys in there but I wanted to say I'd been in an anarchy bookstore!  I noticed titles by Kafka, pamphlets like A Dialogue Between a Priest and a Dying Atheist by the Marquis de Sade and lots and lots of comic books.  Is that standard teenage boy reading?  I'm kind of glad I'm out of touch.  I didn't buy anything but it was interesting to get a peek at how those guys are living.  Honestly though, I kind of wanted to tap them all on the shoulder and be like you know this stuff won't get you laid right?  But I didn't.

Visiting the Haight was one of the high points for me on this trip and I'm so happy we did it.  I did my best to contain myself but I seriously wanted to stop in every single store and buy something because I wanted to remember our time there.  But I guess blogging about it is the next best thing, right?