Betty's Attic
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Friday, June 2, 2017
In the summer of 1967 the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco was the place to be. Especially for hippies, beat poets, artists, dancers, musicians, or anyone who wanted to follow Timothy Leary's advice to "turn on, tune in, drop out".

It was the Summer of Love and San Francisco was its unofficial headquarters.

Over 100,000 Flower Children migrated to the city that summer, starting at the beginning of Spring Break. They studied new religions with yogis from far away shores. They protested in the streets, voicing their suspicion of (and resistance to) the "establishment" way of doing things. They created new forms of poetry, literature, music, and art. They ditched most of their clothes (remember the bra burnings?) and spent the summer listening to the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, Otis Redding, and Jefferson Airplane at huge gatherings like the Monterey Pop Festival.

The country had never seen anything like it. The papers and and television news reported on the phenomenon daily as San Francisco struggled to cope with the influx of young people. Walking through "Hashbury" (as Hunter S. Thompson dubbed the neighborhood) you might run into any number of famous "drop outs", including Joplin, members of The Dead, or Leary himself.

Fifty years later, I remember that summer well. Though I wasn't able to join the hippies in the Haight, my attic is packed with old 45s, including the Mamas and the Papas' theme song for the historic summer: "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" sung by Scott McKenzie. I still have stacks of books filled with beat poetry and psychedelic art. Stored in my closet are tie-dyed t-shirts, flowing skirts, and bellbottoms. And when I visit San Francisco, I do wear flowers in my hair - because along with "peace, love & music" hippie fashion never will never go out of style in Haight Ashbury.

Posted by: Betty | 8:00 AM | permalink
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