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Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

fieldnotes.nautilus.quest

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Re: Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

#31

Post by troglo-byte »

bongodongobob wrote: post #8

I have a great uncle that moved to Haight Ashbury to chase the whole spiritual open your mind idea. He said it was nothing like the media or nostalgia portrayed it. Lots of homeless drugged out kids who were completely lost. No jobs, panhandling for food and money, no direction, just spaced out druggies. Said it was fairly sad and he left within a year. He is an old hippy type as well, it was not what I was expecting…

When was this? It's changed a lot (in both directions) over the years. For example, after Prop 64 legalized weed, the field in GGP by Haight and Stanyan that was previously staffed 24/7 by a morass of weed salespeople and their groupies (maybe 50-300 at any given time) emptied out overnight.

Then there's the fact that even the 18-20yo "Hippie Pilgrim" demo, which has held up pretty well for generations, is secretly stratified by the socioeconomic status of the parents. One's take on it depends on the specific cliques they're exposed to.

Re: Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

#32

Post by someguyiguess »

Schiendelman wrote: post #27
treis wrote: post #17

Bit of a disappointing article. I kept looking for a revelation or insight from the letters but it never came.

Don't rely on the author to hold your hand to an insight - what did you believe that this article challenged?

No I agree. The article seemed like it was going somewhere and then just sort of trailed off and never reached any sort of conclusion.

Re: Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

#33

Post by Magi604 »

>If there is a lesson to this side quest, it’s certainly this: you can JUST go to the library (or do things, in general). The world is full of rooms like that sixth-floor reading room, and it’s up to you to walk into them. Work usually can wait, and you often come back more inspired to it when you’ve given yourself permission to wander. Just go on that quest!

People too often forget this.

Re: Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

#34

Post by blululu »

troglo-byte wrote: post #31
bongodongobob wrote: post #8

I have a great uncle that moved to Haight Ashbury to chase the whole spiritual open your mind idea. He said it was nothing like the media or nostalgia portrayed it. Lots of homeless drugged out kids who were completely lost. No jobs, panhandling for food and money, no direction, just spaced out druggies. Said it was fairly sad and he left within a year. He is an old hippy type as well, it was not what I was expecting…

When was this? It's changed a lot (in both directions) over the years. For example, after Prop 64 legalized weed, the field in GGP by Haight and Stanyan that was previously staffed 24/7 by a morass of weed salespeople and their groupies (maybe 50-300 at any given time) emptied out overnight. Then there's the fact that even the 18-20yo "Hippie Pilgrim" demo, which has held up pretty well for generations, is secretly s…

This brings back memories. I low key miss the drug market on hippie hill. We used to have the 'nugs' game where you had to try to sell the bums weed before they offered you drugs.

FWIW, the parent's comment matches my dad's sentiments about the city in the 60s/70s, but I wouldn't start a bar fight to defend his honor on this point. I would be genuinely curious to hear you elaborate on the changes. I live around the corner from the Upper Haight and it has always been one of my favorite parts of the city, but it has always had a lot of loafers doing nothing but drugs as long as I can remember.

Re: Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

#35

Post by onionisafruit »

renewiltord wrote: post #19
benbreen wrote: post #16

I read Ulysses Grant's memoirs awhile back, and loved his description of being in San Francisco in the 1850s. (Another tidbit I loved is that he imagined an alternate path for his life where he would have settled down in the Bay Area and become a math teacher): "The immigrant, on arriving, found himself a stranger, in a strange land, far from friends. Time pressed, for the little means that could be realized from the…

[flagged]

Right. A man makes an observation in the mid nineteenth century, and he’s spreading a 21st century myth

Re: Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

#36

Post by onionisafruit »

aj_icracked wrote: post #7

I loved my time in SF. For those that remember Detour GPS guided audio tours in 2015 that Andrew Mason founded, the audio tours in SF were next level and so special and showed a side of the history of SF I hadn't seen. Luckily they're preserved on Spotify (although without the GPS guided part) - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/detour-podcast/

I took my family on one of those tours in 2016, and I think my kids know more about San Francisco than they know about our home town

Re: Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

#37

Post by sbuccini »

aj_icracked wrote: post #7

I loved my time in SF. For those that remember Detour GPS guided audio tours in 2015 that Andrew Mason founded, the audio tours in SF were next level and so special and showed a side of the history of SF I hadn't seen. Luckily they're preserved on Spotify (although without the GPS guided part) - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/detour-podcast/

Detour is one of a handful of apps whose demise really tears me up. A great idea with great execution.

Rick Steves had audio tours on his app, but without the GPS initiated cue. I had no idea the original Detour podcasts were preserved, thanks for sharing!

Re: Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

#38

Post by troglo-byte »

blululu wrote: post #34
troglo-byte wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When was this? It's changed a lot (in both directions) over the years. For example, after Prop 64 legalized weed, the field in GGP by Haight and Stanyan that was previously staffed 24/7 by a morass of weed salespeople and their groupies (maybe 50-300 at any given time) emptied out overnight. Then there's the fact that even the 18-20yo "Hippie Pilgrim" demo, which has held up pretty well for generations, is secretly s…

This brings back memories. I low key miss the drug market on hippie hill. We used to have the 'nugs' game where you had to try to sell the bums weed before they offered you drugs. FWIW, the parent's comment matches my dad's sentiments about the city in the 60s/70s, but I wouldn't start a bar fight to defend his honor on this point. I would be genuinely curious to hear you elaborate on the changes. I live around the c…

Rich-kid hippies houseshare, hang out indoors after dark, and don't panhandle or shoplift groceries. They do smoke weed and maybe more, but their safety net is functioning. In their case, this life stage can reasonably be described as a cultural experience. Other than aesthetics, there's not much crossover with poor-kid hippies, because mooching tension is a major bummer.

Before the citywide affordability crisis, I think you were more likely to end up outdoors because you hit bottom than the other way around. The outdoor segment and the weed-dealing segment have always been more visible, though.

Re: Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

#39

Post by jsnsnenxnd »

dyauspitr wrote: post #14
breckinloggins wrote: post #3

I am happy the author followed her curiosity. I remember feeling much the same “pull” when I moved to San Francisco in 2013. Those of us who really vibe with the place seem to share a desire to get behind the city’s strange magic and discover the past souls and events that make San Francisco what it is - that make it feel this particular way that it does. To the author and everyone else who has arrived here recently:…

San Francisco is the amazing. Can’t beat the vibe and history of that city.

lol my local pub has more history than San Francisco

Re: Kids who ran away to 1960s San Francisco

#40

Post by bongodongobob »

troglo-byte wrote: post #31
bongodongobob wrote: post #8

I have a great uncle that moved to Haight Ashbury to chase the whole spiritual open your mind idea. He said it was nothing like the media or nostalgia portrayed it. Lots of homeless drugged out kids who were completely lost. No jobs, panhandling for food and money, no direction, just spaced out druggies. Said it was fairly sad and he left within a year. He is an old hippy type as well, it was not what I was expecting…

When was this? It's changed a lot (in both directions) over the years. For example, after Prop 64 legalized weed, the field in GGP by Haight and Stanyan that was previously staffed 24/7 by a morass of weed salespeople and their groupies (maybe 50-300 at any given time) emptied out overnight. Then there's the fact that even the 18-20yo "Hippie Pilgrim" demo, which has held up pretty well for generations, is secretly s…

1969, he was prob about 30.
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