Haight and Ashbury: The Epicenter of an American Movement
Haight and Ashbury is an intersection of peace, violence, flower children, and drug culture. This intersection was established in the public sphere during the summer of 1967, which has been dubbed the “Summer of Love.” This summer, in particular, is what started the drug revolution in what became the “Haight and Ashbury district of San Francisco.” This famous intersection and the area it designated became desirable because it was a place to “experience the drug culture, the culture of free love, and to
protest the US war in Vietnam” (WiseGEEK).
Although Haight is a rather long street, its bohemian atmosphere is most prevalent at the crossing of Ashbury and within the local businesses and attractions that lead up to it from East to West. This location could be considered cosmopolitan, as it is filled with various personalities and characteristics; however, the fact that it is overall classified by a drug identified culture is no doubt. In fact, it seems that the culture of Haight and Ashbury promotes drug use and attracts drug users. Regardless of the controversies that exist due to the drug related violence that has occurred and does occur on the Haight, it is ultimately a place that embodies an older American lifestyle.
From its origins in the sixties, to the current shops filled with paraphernalia and restaurants with entirely gluten free menus, Haight and Ashbury and the district it designates will always have an essence of the “summer of love,” and will forever represent a time that has passed amidst a large, modern, city.