I was last there in July 1970 and Mark Twain was right. "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francico"
Two venues, three well-known acts every weekend. $3.50 to get in and the show ended at 2:00 a.m. We would stop by the all night Zim's on Lombard Street for a burger afterward. The Fillmore West was always so crowded...until it wasn't any more, and closed down in 1972. I was a roadie for a popular band, and I worked on shows with every legendary act of the era. Bill Graham personally threw me out of the Fillmore one night in 1969, but after that he was always friendly to me. When I went to Janis Joplin's house in 1970 to deliver a drum set, she answered the door in red panties and red shoes. I smoked a joint with Garcia once when he and I and one other guy were hanging around Winterland after a sound check; he stuck the J in my mouth and sparked it for me. It's all on my website.
Wow thats amazing... I can't believe you've met all those amazing people wow I think I'm going to look at that website now
San Francisco has evolved a lot over the years. For a few beautiful years back then, the Haight-Ashbury district was something like the world had never seen before. But the sad truth is that it turned into a slum ... it was filthy and crime-ridden, it became part of the Tenderloin and you didn't go there after dark. In the years since then, however, the city has cleaned it up, as well as all around the downtown area. Even south of Market Street is now upscale businesses and stuff. That used to be a very rough part of town. In my opinion, Berkeley lasted longer as a haven for free thinking. I haven't lived in San Francisco in many years, but I go back often to visit. It's a lovely, fascinating city. I love to walk around Chinatown, North Beach, the Embarcadero, even the touristry areas are fun. And the aroma from all the wonderful restaurants ... ahhhhhh. The traffic on the Bayshore will drive you insane, but I take the BART and relax.
I went to San Fransisco in 2000. I hung out on haight Ashbury street. It wasn't what I expectes. I was traveling with the rainbows and there was alot of mean people there. And alot of people were strung out on heron nad in Golden gate park there was alot of needles. It just wasnt what I expected!!!!!
For a while, it was beautiful, but '60s Haight Ashbury only lives in the hearts and memories of a select few, now days. There's nothing left there of value, anymore. At least, nothing that you can't find in any city, anywhere. It's only a landmark, now - a placeholder for a piece of history. As a few who lived it have said, shortly after it's pinnacle, it was overrun by people from all across the country - runaways, speed freaks, heroin addicts, people looking for free sex instead of free love, takers and users. It got very dark, mean, and dangerous. Most of the good people, sensing the bad vibes, packed up and headed for other places, leaving only the dregs of a broken dream to wander the streets like empty ghosts in a dead fairytale.
Depends on what you mean by "clean." They sweep the streets and paint the buildings. It's as clean as most urban street corners, I guess.
It is now. Like I said, the city has pretty much cleaned up that entire area, including the Tenderloin, all the way into downtown. On a typical day now, there are throngs of people on the sidewalks and relatively few homeless and junkies. For a number of years following the hippie era, it wasn't safe to go into that area, even during the day.
I love going to San Francisco and try to get out there once a year at least. Very interesting city, love the farmers market on the weekends, one of the best anywhere. Always seems to be some kind of interesting festivities going on in the park or by the water or somewhere. Grabbing a few beers, a plate of crabs and some oysters down by fishermans wharf always makes for a nice day.
