The Haight, San Francisco, USA

Orphans of the Summer of Love


Creepy-Graffiti II
Another eccentric painting illustrates the ever creative and dissatisfied Haight Avenue.
out legs
Passersby stroll along San Francisco's famous Haight Avenue
Tattoo & Skateboard
Skater leaves a tattoo studio.
enigmatic walk
Passerby walks along a street decorated with esoteric paintings.
double well protected
Couple about to leave Haight Street by motorcycle.
summer of 67
Psychedelic storefront celebrates the hippie past of Haight-Ashbury Streets.
hat saleswoman
Hat store maid Frankie Zmetra.
Creepy Graffiti
Graffiti on a street in the Haight-Ashbury district.
neo-punks
Neo-punks tour Haight-Ashbury.
Haight-style Shiva
Haight decoration inspired by a psychedelic god Shiva.
Moved Treadmill
Passersby at a yellowish Haight-Ashbury intersection.
chic evasion
Facade of the Piedmont boutique.
Wasteland 1660
Passerby leaves a fashion and design store on Haight Street.
mustache sign
Original signage at the intersection of Haight and Ashbury Streets.
Nonconformity and creativity are still present in the old Flower Power district. But almost 50 years later, the hippie generation has given way to a homeless, uncontrolled and even aggressive youth.

We walk along Ashbury Street and are about to enter one of its many alternative shops when a girl runs out the door and crashes to the ground.

Screams sound both male and female and, soon after, a man in his fifties appears who grabs her by the long blond hair and expels her for the walk, despite the detaining action of another client who we quickly understand to be his partner and accomplice.

"You didn't steal anything did you?" He visibly interrogates the owner of the boutique nervously as he removes objects from his coat and suitcase pockets. “You have to explain to me where all this came from! Coincidentally, they are only products that I sell here in the store”. We can no longer see you ahead! Bunch of unprincipled useless! Disappear once and for all!”.

If it's not for one reason, it's for the other. Conflict set in at the beginning of the 70s, when the Haight became a kind of California Shangri-La for dreamers, vagabonds and the outsiders of society at large. Since then, it has only gotten worse.

Sign, mustache, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, USA, United States.

Original signage at the intersection of Haight and Ashbury Streets.

The Beat Past of Haight and Ashbury

In the XNUMXs, members and supporters of the Beat Generation flooded North Beach, illuminated by the restless, nomadic spirits of Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac.

At a certain point, there were no more vacancies in the houses from this neighborhood and many took advantage of the fact that Haight-Ashbury had entered into decline – with countless houses abandoned after World War II – and proved to be a very affordable option in the city.

The Beat Generation set the tone for liberation from false morals because they ruled the nation, and by the mid-60s, Haight-Ashbury was about to become the seat of the Summer of Love Council.

Summer '67, storefront, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, USA, United States America

Psychedelic storefront celebrates the hippie past of Haight-Ashbury Streets.

It was to its streets that John Phillips of Mamas & the Papas called the country's hippies and non-hippies to converge with flowers in their hair. Janes Joplin, the members of the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead all lived within walking distance.

They knew the local community and welcomed the newcomers with their psychedelic and demanding rock music, and so did the Diggers, a local anarchist community famous for its street theater and providing meals to needy residents.

The Flower Children Disqualification in San Francisco

Times have changed, like San Francisco and the Haight. Frisco has confirmed itself as one of the freest and most creative cities in the country. And the neighborhood is all that and also one of its really valuable historic areas in terms of real estate, where a mere Victorian house can cost more than two million euros.

Legs, chic, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, USA, United States America

Facade of the Piedmont boutique.

But money is only easy for part of the population of United States. The growing prosperity achieved through unbridled capitalism has given rise to a more than obvious socio-economic disparity.

If, in the 60s, it was easy for Flower Children to survive on almost no income by dividing rents of a few tens of dollars, sometimes with dozens of other sympathetic tenants, today, as we walk along their sidewalks, we are forced to meander to avoid the crowd of marginalized and homeless youth who camp there.

We are told they are known as gutter punks (Gutter punks). Wear dirty dreadlocks and nose rings or mohawk colorful and lush and spray-painted faces. A few hundred meters away, several clans are calling us to ask for money with more or less creative approaches, but always determined.

Neo punk, young, dog, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, USA, United States America

Neo-punks tour Haight-Ashbury.

We read on their little cardboard posters “Please help us to be sober (un-sober)” or “We also accept beer and weed”.

These second-rate Americans often become aggressive towards passersby. They block the passage while playing their guitars and jambés, as the clock at the intersection of Haight St and Ashbury St that always reads 4:20, the International Bong Hit Time, sends.

And they intimidate those who dare to try to break through or simply insult those who have no intention of satisfying their requests. "Die yuppie!" and “Where has the spirit of the Summer of Love gone” are frequent offenses and complaints.

If, for the new rebels, the past they never lived continues to serve as a justification, many of the true protagonists of the Flower Power era no longer have the patience to feel compassion.

Wasteland 1660, young man crossing street, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, USA, United States America

Passerby leaves a fashion and design store on Haight Street.

Flower Children vs. Flower Children. The Growing Conflict in Haight-Ashbury

It is something that should be forgiven them if only because, among so many other mischiefs, part of the vast outlawed community of Haight uses the flower beds of their homes as a bathroom and throws used hypodermic syringes into a small lake nearby which they now call Hep-C lake.

“Many of us who still live here were Flower Children…” Robert Shadoian, a 58-year-old retired family therapist, complains to the press. “… then we grew up. That's what they should do. At some point, there are responsibilities that must be taken on. You can't be high 24 hours a day and expect the world to take care of us.”

Crosswalk, Pedestrians, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, USA, United States America

Passersby at a yellowish Haight-Ashbury intersection.

The Power to Denigrate the Causeless Rebels of Haight-Ashbury

The presence and extreme attitudes of the community misfit cause other, less visible damage. Residents and entrepreneurs have invested serious money in businesses that they deliver a lot of energy to, but part of the potential clientele is driven away by the feeling of inconvenience associated with the neighborhood.

In 1977, Dr Sami Sunchild, an artist and environmental and social activist, purchased an old hotel with Victorian architecture and renamed it “Red Victorian”. Its objective was that the place would bring together the main ideals and historical movements in that area.

Today, the hotel's Peace Café hosts the World Conversations held on Sundays. Right next door, at the same time, it is common for groups of irreverent skaters to roam the surrounding roads, delaying and provoking condescending drivers.

Tatoo skate, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, USA, United States America

Skater leaves a tattoo studio.

Owners decorate and supply boutiques, shops and cafes to revolutionize fashion and create creative and welcoming atmospheres. But it only takes one of the marginal clans to elect the entrance to one of these places for their perch for their financial viability to be threatened.

In one of the most libertine cities of the USA., the authorities have difficulties in dealing with this situation. It's just one among many others. The various local medical marijuana clubs, for example, require a prescription and a 30-day waiting period.

Still, they continue to offer smiles to many false patients.

Constructive Resistance and the Hope of Some

Despite its shocks and disappointments, the Haight inspires the most persistent. Further on, we enter a curious hat shop where we meet Frankie Zmetra, the angelic-looking maid who serves customers.

We ended up photographing her and then, during a long conversation with several interruptions, we heard her view of the problem. "They may be ragged outlaws but they have a right to exist and to their revolt." I, for my part, do not use them as an excuse.

Hats Store, Saleswoman, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, USA, United States America

Hat store maid Frankie Zmetra.

I love this neighborhood and I bet what I can on it.” Now I work here at the store, but at the same time I'm launching my own clothing line. I'm also a model and I'll have everything for sale through a blog that I'm developing.”

At first glance, none of the gutter punks seems to have conditions to pursue dreams of the kind.

In the same play in which ex-Flower Child Robert Shadoian witnesses, a beggar named Jonah Lawrence complains that it should be the residents who civilize themselves. “I'm always told to get a job. And I answer: "do you happen to have clothes that you can find me or a place to take a shower so that I can look for a job?"

It is common to find teenagers who do not adapt to the white collar world in which families live, who flee from sexual abuse and parents with drug and alcohol problems.

Graffiti, creepy, goddess, mural, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, USA, United States America

Another eccentric painting illustrates the ever creative and dissatisfied Haight Avenue.

As common as the fact that many cannot escape similar fates. Some arrive from other states of the USA hopeful of finding the famous solidarity of the 60s.

But they quickly realize that, barring one or two exceptions, in the Haight, the people who care about them are the rest of the homeless.

Key West, USA

The Tropical Wild West of the USA

We've come to the end of the Overseas Highway and the ultimate stronghold of propagandism Florida Keys. The continental United States here they surrender to a dazzling turquoise emerald marine vastness. And to a southern reverie fueled by a kind of Caribbean spell.
San Francisco, USA

San Francisco Cable Cars: A Life of Highs and Lows

A macabre wagon accident inspired the San Francisco cable car saga. Today, these relics work as a charm operation in the city of fog, but they also have their risks.
San Francisco, USA

with the head on the moon

September comes and Chinese people around the world celebrate harvests, abundance and unity. San Francisco's enormous Sino-Community gives itself body and soul to California's biggest Moon Festival.
Alcatraz, San Francisco, USA

Back to the Rock

Forty years after his sentence ended, the former Alcatraz prison receives more visitors than ever. A few minutes of his seclusion explain why The Rock's imagination made the worst criminals shiver.
Big Sur, USA

The Coast of All Refuges

Over 150km, the Californian coast is subjected to a vastness of mountains, ocean and fog. In this epic setting, hundreds of tormented souls follow in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and Henri Miller.
Florida Keys, USA

The Caribbean Stepping Stone of the USA

Os United States continental islands seem to close to the south in its capricious peninsula of Florida. Don't stop there. More than a hundred islands of coral, sand and mangroves form an eccentric tropical expanse that has long seduced American vacationers.
Miami, USA

A Masterpiece of Urban Rehabilitation

At the turn of the 25st century, the Wynwood neighbourhood remained filled with abandoned factories and warehouses and graffiti. Tony Goldman, a shrewd real estate investor, bought more than XNUMX properties and founded a mural park. Much more than honoring graffiti there, Goldman founded the Wynwood Arts District, the great bastion of creativity in Miami.
tombstone, USA

Tombstone: the City Too Hard to Die

Silver veins discovered at the end of the XNUMXth century made Tombstone a prosperous and conflictive mining center on the frontier of the United States to Mexico. Lawrence Kasdan, Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner and other Hollywood directors and actors made famous the Earp brothers and the bloodthirsty duel of “OK Corral”. The Tombstone, which, over time, has claimed so many lives, is about to last.
Miami beach, USA

The Beach of All Vanities

Few coasts concentrate, at the same time, so much heat and displays of fame, wealth and glory. Located in the extreme southeast of the USA, Miami Beach is accessible via six bridges that connect it to the rest of Florida. It is meager for the number of souls who desire it.
Little Havana, USA

Little Havana of the Nonconformists

Over the decades and until today, thousands of Cubans have crossed the Florida Straits in search of the land of freedom and opportunity. With the US a mere 145 km away, many have gone no further. His Little Havana in Miami is today the most emblematic neighborhood of the Cuban diaspora.
Grand Canyon, USA

Journey through the Abysmal North America

The Colorado River and tributaries began flowing into the plateau of the same name 17 million years ago and exposed half of Earth's geological past. They also carved one of its most stunning entrails.
Mount Denali, Alaska

The Sacred Ceiling of North America

The Athabascan Indians called him Denali, or the Great, and they revered his haughtiness. This stunning mountain has aroused the greed of climbers and a long succession of record-breaking climbs.
Juneau, Alaska

The Little Capital of Greater Alaska

From June to August, Juneau disappears behind cruise ships that dock at its dockside. Even so, it is in this small capital that the fate of the 49th American state is decided.
Monument Valley, USA

Indians or Cowboys?

Iconic Western filmmakers like John Ford immortalized what is the largest Indian territory in the United States. Today, in the Navajo Nation, the Navajo also live in the shoes of their old enemies.
Talkeetna, Alaska

Talkeetna's Alaska-Style Life

Once a mere mining outpost, Talkeetna rejuvenated in 1950 to serve Mt. McKinley climbers. The town is by far the most alternative and most captivating town between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Las Vegas, USA

Where sin is always forgiven

Projected from the Mojave Desert like a neon mirage, the North American capital of gaming and entertainment is experienced as a gamble in the dark. Lush and addictive, Vegas neither learns nor regrets.
Navajo nation, USA

The Navajo Nation Lands

From Kayenta to Page, passing through Marble Canyon, we explore the southern Colorado Plateau. Dramatic and desert, the scenery of this indigenous domain, cut out in Arizona, reveals itself to be splendid.
Death Valley, USA

The Hottest Place Resurrection

Since 1921, Al Aziziyah, in Libya, was considered the hottest place on the planet. But the controversy surrounding the 58th measured there meant that, 99 years later, the title was returned to Death Valley.
Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Mauna Kea: the Volcano with an Eye out in Space

The roof of Hawaii was off-limits to natives because it housed benevolent deities. But since 1968, several nations sacrificed the peace of the gods and built the greatest astronomical station on the face of the Earth.
pearl harbor, Hawaii

The Day Japan Went Too Far

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor military base. Today, parts of Hawaii look like Japanese colonies but the US will never forget the outrage.
Believers greet each other in the Bukhara region.
City
Bukhara, Uzbequistan

Among the Minarets of Old Turkestan

Situated on the ancient Silk Road, Bukhara has developed for at least two thousand years as an essential commercial, cultural and religious hub in Central Asia. It was Buddhist and then Muslim. It was part of the great Arab empire and that of Genghis Khan, the Turko-Mongol kingdoms and the Soviet Union, until it settled in the still young and peculiar Uzbekistan.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beaches
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
Jabula Beach, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
safari
Saint Lucia, South Africa

An Africa as Wild as Zulu

On the eminence of the coast of Mozambique, the province of KwaZulu-Natal is home to an unexpected South Africa. Deserted beaches full of dunes, vast estuarine swamps and hills covered with fog fill this wild land also bathed by the Indian Ocean. It is shared by the subjects of the always proud Zulu nation and one of the most prolific and diverse fauna on the African continent.
Herd in Manang, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 8th Manang, Nepal

Manang: the Last Acclimatization in Civilization

Six days after leaving Besisahar we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). Located at the foot of the Annapurna III and Gangapurna Mountains, Manang is the civilization that pampers and prepares hikers for the ever-dreaded crossing of Thorong La Gorge (5416 m).
holy plain, Bagan, Myanmar
Architecture & Design
Bagan, Myanmar

The Plain of Pagodas, Temples and other Heavenly Redemptions

Burmese religiosity has always been based on a commitment to redemption. In Bagan, wealthy and fearful believers continue to erect pagodas in hopes of winning the benevolence of the gods.
Passengers, scenic flights-Southern Alps, New Zealand
Aventura
Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand

The Aeronautical Conquest of the Southern Alps

In 1955, pilot Harry Wigley created a system for taking off and landing on asphalt or snow. Since then, his company has unveiled, from the air, some of the greatest scenery in Oceania.
4th of July Fireworks-Seward, Alaska, United States
Ceremonies and Festivities
Seward, Alaska

The Longest 4th of July

The independence of the United States is celebrated, in Seward, Alaska, in a modest way. Even so, the 4th of July and its celebration seem to have no end.
New Orleans Louisiana, First Line
Cities
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

The Muse of the Great American South

New Orleans stands out from conservative US backgrounds as the defender of all rights, talents and irreverence. Once French, forever Frenchified, the city of jazz inspires new contagious rhythms, the fusion of ethnicities, cultures, styles and flavors.
Fogón de Lola, great food, Costa Rica, Guápiles
Lunch time
Fogón de Lola Costa Rica

The Costa Rica Flavour of El Fogón de Lola

As the name suggests, the Fogón de Lola de Guapiles serves dishes prepared on the stove and in the oven, according to Costa Rican family tradition. In particular, Tia Lola's.
Culture
Pueblos del Sur, Venezuela

The Pueblos del Sur Locainas, Their Dances and Co.

From the beginning of the XNUMXth century, with Hispanic settlers and, more recently, with Portuguese emigrants, customs and traditions well known in the Iberian Peninsula and, in particular, in northern Portugal, were consolidated in the Pueblos del Sur.
Sport
Competitions

Man: an Ever Tested Species

It's in our genes. For the pleasure of participating, for titles, honor or money, competitions give meaning to the world. Some are more eccentric than others.
Faithful light candles, Milarepa Grotto temple, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
Traveling
Annapurna Circuit: 9th Manang to Milarepa Cave, Nepal

A Walk between Acclimatization and Pilgrimage

In full Annapurna Circuit, we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). we still need acclimatize to the higher stretches that followed, we inaugurated an equally spiritual journey to a Nepalese cave of Milarepa (4000m), the refuge of a siddha (sage) and Buddhist saint.
Network launch, Ouvéa Island-Lealdade Islands, New Caledonia
Ethnic
Ouvéa, New Caledonia

Between Loyalty and Freedom

New Caledonia has always questioned integration into faraway France. On the island of Ouvéa, Loyalty Archipelago, we find an history of resistance but also natives who prefer French-speaking citizenship and privileges.
Portfolio, Got2Globe, Best Images, Photography, Images, Cleopatra, Dioscorides, Delos, Greece
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

The Earthly and the Celestial

Masada fortress, Israel
History
Massada, Israel

Massada: The Ultimate Jewish Fortress

In AD 73, after months of siege, a Roman legion found that the resisters at the top of Masada had committed suicide. Once again Jewish, this fortress is now the supreme symbol of Zionist determination
Bolshoi Zayatski Orthodox Church, Solovetsky Islands, Russia.
Islands
Bolshoi Zayatsky, Russia

Mysterious Russian Babylons

A set of prehistoric spiral labyrinths made of stones decorate Bolshoi Zayatsky Island, part of the Solovetsky archipelago. Devoid of explanations as to when they were erected or what it meant, the inhabitants of these northern reaches of Europe call them vavilons.
Reindeer Racing, Kings Cup, Inari, Finland
Winter White
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
Lake Manyara, National Park, Ernest Hemingway, Giraffes
Literature
Lake Manyara NP, Tanzania

Hemingway's Favorite Africa

Situated on the western edge of the Rift Valley, Lake Manyara National Park is one of the smallest but charming and richest in Europe. wild life of Tanzania. In 1933, between hunting and literary discussions, Ernest Hemingway dedicated a month of his troubled life to him. He narrated those adventurous safari days in “The Green Hills of Africa".
Horses under a snow, Iceland Never Ending Snow Island Fire
Nature
Husavik a Myvatn, Iceland

Endless Snow on the Island of Fire

When, in mid-May, Iceland already enjoys some sun warmth but the cold and snow persist, the inhabitants give in to an intriguing summer anxiety.
Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
El Tatio Geisers, Atacama, Chile, Between ice and heat
Natural Parks
El Tatio, Chile

El Tatio Geysers – Between the Ice and the Heat of the Atacama

Surrounded by supreme volcanoes, the geothermal field of El Tatio, in the Atacama Desert it appears as a Dantesque mirage of sulfur and steam at an icy 4200 m altitude. Its geysers and fumaroles attract hordes of travelers.
Military Religious, Wailing Wall, IDF Flag Oath, Jerusalem, Israel
UNESCO World Heritage
Jerusalem, Israel

A Festive Wailing Wall

The holiest place in Judaism is not only attended by prayers and prayers. Its ancient stones have witnessed the oath of new IDF recruits for decades and echo the euphoric screams that follow.
Correspondence verification
Characters
Rovaniemi, Finland

From the Finnish Lapland to the Arctic. A Visit to the Land of Santa

Fed up with waiting for the bearded old man to descend down the chimney, we reverse the story. We took advantage of a trip to Finnish Lapland and passed through its furtive home.
Varela Guinea Bissau, Nhiquim beach
Beaches
Varela, Guinea Bissau

Dazzling, Deserted Coastline, all the way to Senegal

Somewhat remote, with challenging access, the peaceful fishing village of Varela compensates those who reach it with the friendliness of its people and one of the stunning, but at risk, coastlines in Guinea Bissau.
Balinese Hinduism, Lombok, Indonesia, Batu Bolong temple, Agung volcano in background
Religion
Lombok, Indonesia

Lombok: Balinese Hinduism on an Island of Islam

The foundation of Indonesia was based on the belief in one God. This ambiguous principle has always generated controversy between nationalists and Islamists, but in Lombok, the Balinese take freedom of worship to heart
The Toy Train story
On Rails
Siliguri a Darjeeling, India

The Himalayan Toy Train Still Running

Neither the steep slope of some stretches nor the modernity stop it. From Siliguri, in the tropical foothills of the great Asian mountain range, the Darjeeling, with its peaks in sight, the most famous of the Indian Toy Trains has ensured for 117 years, day after day, an arduous dream journey. Traveling through the area, we climb aboard and let ourselves be enchanted.
Ijen Volcano, Slaves of Sulfur, Java, Indonesia
Society
Ijen volcano, Indonesia

The Ijen Volcano Sulphur Slaves

Hundreds of Javanese surrender to the Ijen volcano where they are consumed by poisonous gases and loads that deform their shoulders. Each turn earns them less than €30 but everyone is grateful for their martyrdom.
Fruit sellers, Swarm, Mozambique
Daily life
Enxame Mozambique

Mozambican Fashion Service Area

It is repeated at almost all stops in towns of Mozambique worthy of appearing on maps. The machimbombo (bus) stops and is surrounded by a crowd of eager "businessmen". The products offered can be universal such as water or biscuits or typical of the area. In this region, a few kilometers from Nampula, fruit sales suceeded, in each and every case, quite intense.
Gandoca Manzanillo Refuge, Bahia
Wildlife
Gandoca-Manzanillo (Wildlife Refuge), Costa Rica

The Caribbean Hideaway of Gandoca-Manzanillo

At the bottom of its southeastern coast, on the outskirts of Panama, the “Tica” nation protects a patch of jungle, swamps and the Caribbean Sea. As well as a providential wildlife refuge, Gandoca-Manzanillo is a stunning tropical Eden.
Full Dog Mushing
Scenic Flights
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.