Haight-Ashbury: Summer of Love

[unclemick]

Psst - titanium. Secret clearance. Beat those Ruskies.

Not as buttoned down as Bob Newhart - but close.

heh heh heh -

 

[mickeyd]

On the way to Vietnam in June 1968 I had a 1 week layover in San Francisco. One of the places that I visited was Haigt-Ashbury, as well as Carol Doda's topless bar. I remember the bar more than the Haight, but it was cool to be there at that time in history.

 

[kumquat]

I never made it to HA that summer, nor did I do protests, sit-ins etc, but I learned to love the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. Can we bring it all back?

 

[CuppaJoe]

....

Edit: I was present for the 68 convention. Got back home from NY just in time to make that event.

I wasn't there but remember that one; knew young people who were there--second hand news. My parents lived on the Illinois/Wisconsin line. I remember calling them from Madison and they didn't know anything about it; I suspect there was a news blackout from Chicago stations, did you get that impression?

I returned from Nam in September '69. Be grateful that you missed out on some things ...

Yeah, my childhood friend's ex-husband was killed there in Dec. '68.

 

[Purron]

I returned from Nam in September '69. Be grateful that you missed out on some things ...

Got that right. It wasn't all love and flowers. Those were some difficult times for sure. Thanks for serving in Nam rescueme.

 

[Koolau]

I returned from Nam in September '69. ...

Welcome home!

 

[deserat]

I was three then, however, I worked in Berkeley in the 90's early 2000's with many who had participated. Let's just say their judgment at times left a lot to be desired even 20-30 years later. Some of the stories I heard curled my hair, but then I grew up in a conservative household (active military) and am a Reservist now. The juxtaposition of what was/is OK in Berkeley versus the military....oooooweeeee.

 

[vicente solano]

Any one of you that served in Nam has my admiration and respect.

 

[vicente solano]

That doesn´t mean that I don´t respect those who didn´t go there. Their reasons for not going were pretty sound. It´s just that the fighting over there must have been pure terror.

 

[Orchidflower]

I'm still totally appalled that anyone would spit at any of our military who have fought for our freedom..but they did...sadly. People make sacrifices for us and we spit at them? Such out-of-line behavior, and I hope these folks have matured and seen how wrong they were to do that. It's even embarrassing to know they belonged to my generation.

Vietnam turned out to be such a shameful error, and I read that President Lyndon Johnson was so upset he made the decision for us to go into Nam that that was the cause of his heavy drinking before he died. The burden of a bad decision was just too much.
Wonder if Bush will have any regrets and act out?

 

[rescueme]

Thanks for all your positive comments. Forty years later, I finally received a "welcome home" ...

 

[bruce1]

I never made it to HA that summer, nor did I do protests, sit-ins etc, but I learned to love the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. Can we bring it all back?

It would kill us now. We would have to be 40 years younger.

 

[antmary]

Far out
I lived in Sacramento in the late 60's, and we used to go to SF to the Winterland auditorium. I saw "It's a Beautiful Day", Janice Joplin etc. The only thing I can say is that it was fun! interesting! Cosmic! And, I remember and relish most of it. There was an aura of innocence and beauty if you were part of the counter-culture. I am glad that I got to experience those years.

On the other hand, if you were "straight," you were in another world, almost a parallel universe. Typically the straights shunned the hippies.

I was caught in the middle. The counter-culture was a luxury I couldn't immerse myself in completely, but I would dip my toes in during weekends. Actually, I lived for those weekends! I was working myself through college, which turned out to keep me from going overboard - and I did see those who ended up with bad trips, in mental hospitals (they were still in existence then), or dead.

In hindsight, I think life is all about balance. The whole flower child scenario has turned out class A gardeners all over the world. The straight lifestyle has helped us all to stay on course in retirement savings. And, many of us ended up in recovery.

 

[Nodak]

I was in Haight-Ashbury in 1968, it was already getting dangerous then. One friend I was there with was robbed at gunpoint about a half block off Haight.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I was in the army 66 miles away from "Woodstock" at the time. Missed out. We had guys go an return several days late (AWOL), saying Wow!. No regrets. Saw Jefferson Airplane in Greenwich Village and Jerry Jeff Walker in Connecticut, among others. What did I do? Ain't sayin'.

 

[redduck]

I was in the Haight from about 63-68. Lived on Waller Street at one time. Also lived on Cole Street (1/2 off of Haight). At first, the Haight was really a fun place, lots of everything either exciting and/or sort of illegal. The Haight was actually safe in the first part of the 60's. People were polite, gentle, kind and generous. And, perhaps a bit spacey. But, the bikers, the bad guys, the crazies and the really nasty people began to move in and take advantage of the true hippies. The hippies really did wear flowers in their hair and went to the Family Dog dances (Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks). Wonderful posters for the dances. Really works of art. Wish I still had mine. Wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if the Haight returned to it's former days in the sun. The Haight was the right place at the right time in the early part of the '60's. (But that's just my opinion). Well, maybe all the dropping of acid wasn't such a good idea...but other than that...

 

[ls99]

Got my Draft notice in early 67, actually volunteered a month before my draft date. Spent a summer pleasant in Ft. Jackson SC, & Ft Gordon GA. Missed all that group grope stuff.

 

[mrpd114]

I was in high school in the 10th grade in Castro Valley, Ca, across the bay from San Francisco. Made it to the Haight for a day with a friend to hang out but wasn't into "the scene" there. Great music and posters came out of that era and we did finally get out of Nam, though not for another six years or so.

Is99, like you, I went Fort Jackson, South Carolina (boot camp) and Fort Gordon, Georgia (microwave radio operator). I had received my draft notice in '72. My draft number was 56 and they drafted up to number 98 or 99 that year so I probably would have spent time in Nam. Joined the National Guard so it could have been worse..

 

[Walt34]

I totally missed it all. In 1967-68 I was in high school, had a part time job in a gas station (back when pump jockeys pumped the gas and cleaned the windshield) a Yamaha Twin Jet 100 motorcycle, a stunningly beautiful girlfriend who I was madly in love with even though her parents (wisely) forbade her getting on the bike, and for the most part trying to figure out what would happen when I grew up.

And I thought hippies were creepy, weird, strange folk with absolutely no sense at all.

 

[RonBoyd]

Oh! Now I remember:

YouTube - because i got high

 

[Martha]

I'm still totally appalled that anyone would spit at any of our military who have fought for our freedom..but they did...sadly. People make sacrifices for us and we spit at them?

Many of those stories likely are urban legend. Reinforcing his myth hypothesis, Lembcke cites a Harris poll reported to Congress in 1972 that indicates 93% of returning veterans found their homecoming friendly, while only 3% found it unfriendly. The poll also reported that over 75% of returning vets were opposed to the war. Vietnam Veterans Against the War: THE VETERAN: Debunking A Myth

As a teenager I protested the war and everyone I knew had nothing but respect for the soldiers. Some were former military. Some were trying to avoid being soldiers. Some had brothers that had been drafted.

I was too young for the summer of love. Did my summer of love about 5 years later.

 

[REWahoo]

Many of those stories likely are urban legend. Reinforcing his myth hypothesis, Lembcke cites a Harris poll reported to Congress in 1972 that indicates 93% of returning veterans found their homecoming friendly, while only 3% found it unfriendly. The poll also reported that over 75% of returning vets were opposed to the war. Vietnam Veterans Against the War: THE VETERAN: Debunking A Myth

Speaking from personal experience, I found the atmosphere towards the military in the Vietnam era was directly correlated to geography. I was never uncomfortable wearing my uniform in public when in Florida, Kansas or Texas, but California was an entirely different story. Only there did I hear shouts of "Baby Killer!" and "Murderer!".

 

[Martha]

Speaking from personal experience, I found the atmosphere towards the military in the Vietnam era was directly correlated to geography. I was never uncomfortable wearing my uniform in public when in Florida, Kansas or Texas, but California was an entirely different story. Only there did I hear shouts of "Baby Killer!" and "Murderer!".

Makes sense. IIRC San Francisco got rather hot so I can imagine people going over the line. My experience was Minnesota and one trip to Chicago, where I didn't witness any of that kind of hostility. Soldiers weren't "the man." So I am sure it depends on where you were and who was there.

 

[CuppaJoe]

One of my best friends was in the National Guard, said he was terrified to be sent to a college campus because he felt he was not properly trained for it. He was a genuine pacifist but he and his two brothers served anyway. I worked in a symbolic campus building that was the site of many protests. During a protest, the building’s doors were guarded by a local cop and a Guardsman and I would talk my way back into the building after lunch until one day they let me in and it was filled with tear gas. How young and stupid is that, to walk up to armed troops and demand admittance? Wouldn’t do that now! I still remember the way the tear gas, pepper gas and nausea gas permeated the wood. Years later I went back to smell it but was disappointed by the academic sweet smell of pipe smoke.

 

[Bikerdude]

I was state side in the military in 1968. The guys from CA would bring back some "home made" pills when they went on leave with very interesting names associated with them. One night several of my friends indulged in an 4 way tab. That night I met god and told him I was very glad to meet him. Just then one friend tapped me on the shoulder and said, "man you are really tripping man...your talking like god and stuff to a poster of Frank Zappa".