Also known as the Subculture Section, Haight-Ashbury is a San Francisco neighborhood named after the intersection at the corner of Haight Street and Ashbury Street.

You could make the case that Haight-Ashbury has always been a significant part of the long history of counterculture evolution that has played a role in the story of San Francisco. Although the area has undergone considerable changes, particularly since its height of counterculture appeal during the 1960s and 1970s, the alternative vibe that makes the neighborhood so distinctive certainly remains. You can find that attitude in the bars, restaurants, cafes, shops, and other area-specific points of interest. Haight-Ashbury is definitely a San Francisco neighborhood that lives in the now. At the same time, they are very keen to celebrate and expand on their history of being a neighborhood whose citizens like to live off the beaten path.

For those who are just visiting Haight-Ashbury, be prepared: this is one of the liveliest parts of San Francisco, by far. When you consider how rich San Francisco is in its diversity, that’s saying something!

Shops like Happy High Herbs and The Wasteland will give you a pretty clear idea of what the neighborhood is all about. If you want to get a vague sense of what San Francisco was like in the 1960s (although some will tell you that if you remember San Francisco in the 1960s, then you probably weren’t actually there), Haight-Ashbury is the place to go. Cute shops like Relic Vintage and Decades Fashion may offer fashion notables from a variety of decades, but they also serve to emphasize that Haight-Ashbury is a neighborhood that’s constantly staying in the present, while also looking ahead to the future.