Cho will be touring through San Francisco and is only asking for donations for the homeless. Today she’ll be on Haight Ashbury.
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It’s been awhile.
I’ve been visiting the Haight more than ever, partly because of class, but I’m glad this is my neighborhood.
The people of the Haight have been nothing but good to me. They make sure to smile or say hi to the people who pass by them.
I am always talking about the sense of community but it is so noticeable every time I’m there that people care for one another. Even the people who work in the stores that have been around for awhile care for the street people.
The street people always seem to have a good attitude and even when you know that they are not having a good day they make sure to still have a smile on their faces.
At times it seems like the tourists on Haight seem a little thrown off that the street people are so interactive that it even weirds them out. It is definitely obvious who the locals are because they don’t mind the interactions with the wanderers of the Haight.
Fangirling.
This past Tuesday I got to meet the lead singer from one of my favorite bands, The Strokes. Julian Casablancas is now part of another band called Julian Casablancas+ The Voidz.
My roommate and I waited in line at Amoeba for two hours to get our albums signed and get a quick picture. The wait was worth. Well at least to me it was.
As we got closer to the front I began to get butterflies and I couldn’t stop smiling. I was really being a major fan girl. Once I got to Julian Casablancas all I could say was “The show last night was great. Thank you so much for the great music.” Then I asked for a hug which I got! He made my night by simply saying that my hair smells good.
Look out for Julian Casablancas + The Voidz
There will be an album signing on Haight today at Amoeba on Haight.
So I went to their concert last night at the Regency Ballroom and I don’t have anything bad to say about the performance. It was a bit snug making it extremely hot from the body heat but what are you going to do when you have such great people performing.
If you’re a Julian Casablancas fan and didn’t get to make it to the concert last night then make sure to head over to Amoeba at 4 today.
Street Taco
So before going to the book reading on Tuesday evening my friend and I decided to get some food. We decided on one of the first places we saw, it is called Street Taco.
I feel like we are on a constant search for some delicious tasting tacos. The tacos back home, L.A., are incredibly amazing and we haven’t been able to find any in San Francisco that could compare.
Once we saw the al pastor sitting there looking real fresh we knew this was going to be the place we were going to eat at.
There was a line to order food but the process seemed to go by real quick. The man who took our order was real polite and personable with a huge smile on his face. My friend and I made the assumption that he was one of the owners since he was dressed differently than everyone else working there and was giving orders.
Once we finished ordering our food we were given a number to listen for to let us know when our food would be ready. The price was a bit expensive or maybe we just thought so because we were comparing to what it would be like back home.
My friend/roommate ordered two al pastor tacos with a side of rice and refried beans and I ordered one carne asada taco and one al pastor taco. We both got horchata to drink which was real tasty and definitely quenched our thirst.
I was definitely surprised, in a good way, by the first bite that I took from my taco then I took a second bite from the al pastor taco and immediately decided that the al pastor taco was definitely better than the asada.
We both decided that we had found our new favorite place to eat tacos in San Francisco.
Al pastor taco on the right and carne asada on the left. Both with salsa and guacamole added. Picture by Priscilla Rodarte.
Yesterday I went to a book reading at The Book Smith on Haight Street. This was the first book reading I have been to and let me tell you it was quite enjoyable.
Chris Guillebeau talked about his book “The Happiness of Pursuit”. He did not read a direct passage out of his book the way that I thought it would go. He instead spoke about how he got to writing the book and three important lessons that he thought everyone should get out of the book.
His three lessons were:
1. Believe in your dreams even if no one else does. No matter how radical or crazy they are.
2. Thinking about the end of your life will help you with the rest of your life. (live for something)
3. Discontent could lead to a positive outcome.
Overall, Guillebeau is a very inspirational speaker. He spoke about how he traveled to all the of the countries in the world. He let the audience know that it is alright to do things by ourselves. That we would be proud of attempting a goal we have set instead of it just letting it be another hopeless dream.
So I’m not going to lie I haven’t read the book but it seems like my type of book so I might just have to pick it up.
I’m happy that this one of the first book readings I decided to attend because I’ve been going through some personal issues and honestly this event has shown me that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It was truly inspirational during a time when I really needed it.
Enjoy A Madonna or Audrey Hepburn
Coffee Cantata is a ma and pa cafe on Haight-Ashbury but don’t let the size fool you. There’s often a line coming out of the door but in a few minutes everyone is taken care of by the three employees who work there.
Two of their speciality drinks are called the Madonna and the Audrey Hepburn. I chose to order the Audrey Hepburn which was absolutely delicious. After enjoying my drink I went to talk to one of the employees there. She was extremely personable and was more than willing to have a conversation with me even though she was done with her shift and was ready to go home.
The coffee shop has everything from different types of coffee drinks to pastries to gelato to boba. Employees say that the ma of the shop likes to make everyone happy so that’s part of the reason the shop has such a variety.
Tourists and locals go to the tiny little cafe on Haight Street.
Photo taken by Priscilla Rodarte
Nothing But Love for the Haight
So far every time I have gone to the Haight is has been great. Almost everyone is welcoming and don’t mind having a conversation at all. As a matter of fact people love talking to others on the Haight.
Many have that I have talked to have said that the Haight is a community of people who have each other’s backs. Except for a man in particular who lives out of his van on Haight. He said that younger “street kids” are selfish compared to how he used to be with his friends when he was younger and living on the Haight. He said that now there are a lot more hard-core drugs out there opposed to him and friends who consider themselves to be “true stoners” because they only smoke weed.
I passed by a little ma and pa coffee shop called Coffee Cantata where I purchased one of their specialty drinks called the Audrey Hepburn. It was absolutely delicious. This little coffee shop is so small where there was only three people working there when I went in. You could definitely tell that the people working at the cafe consider each other family and love working there.
An employee that works there told me that she absolutely loves working there and that it has really bettered her life. She absolutely loves the owners who she literally calls “ma and pa”.
The Haight is full of great and amazing people who most of us would consider hippies. They are full of life and enjoy each day that they are alive. The people of Haight have such great attitudes and are open minded.
The Definition of Haight in One Picture
Photo Taken By Priscilla Rodarte
It's a Love-Haight Typa Thing 