The “Summer of Love”

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the “Summer of Love”. In honor of the occasion, I put on some heart shaped sunglasses and a tie-dye shirt, stuffed a couple of doobies in my pocket, and headed out to Haight-Ashbury today. That’s not true; the only person who looked good in heart shaped sunglasses was George Harrison. Also, I don’t have a tie-dye shirt, and I don’t smoke pot. Like Janis Joplin once said when someone offered her a hit from a joint, “No, thanks, it makes me think.”
These were pictures taken in Haight-Asbury during the “Summer of Love”.

We’ll start at Haight Street looking west toward Masonic. (Vintage Everyday)

The northeast corner of Masonic and Haight: Drogstore!!! They were originally called the Drugstore Cafe, but had to change their name over objections to the obvious drug use in the area. (Vintage Everyday) 

The northeast corner of Haight and Ashbury with Napoleon and Josephine: 

 The northwest corner of Haight and Ashbury: (Herb Greene)

 1418 Haight Street: Notice a lack of “Keep off the grass” signs. (Vintage Everyday)

1523 Haight Street: Hippie chicks sure were cute, even when they were sitting on the sidewalk stoned out of their minds! (Vintage Everyday) 

1535 (now 1541) Haight Street: I wonder if that’s her granddaughter? (Vintage Everyday)

  Haight, between Cole and Schrader: I felt like taking my shoes off when I walked past here. 

During the Summer of Love George and Pattie Harrison flew to San Francisco (probably via Trans Love Airways). They walked through Haight-Ashbury to Golden Gate Park and sat with a crowd right here on “Hippie Hill”. George borrowed a guitar from one of the people gathered around them and sang a few songs. After a short time, they left, and I don’t know if George Harrison ever returned to San Francisco. The bottom photo is Hippie Hill today.