We set out on a second day of exploring, this time in the southwest area of the city. So much to see!

Buena Vista Park
We took BART into the city and walked to the beautiful Buena Vista Park. We hiked up curving and intersecting paths until we came to the beautiful summit- a panoramic view of San Francisco. It was worth the climb! We made friends with some tourists & they thought Chip was a fantastic photographer (I agree). After resting near a giant basin of sand near the summit we made our way down the other side of the park and ended up on Haight Ashbury’s doorstep.

Haight Ashbury
We first stumbled upon Bound Together Books, a collective operated by volunteers. We enjoyed overhearing some politically charged conversations in the store and even bought a $3 book for ourselves: Thorstein Veblen’s The Theory of the Leisure Class.

Now, there are two kinds of hippies that we found: the ones the 60s was not good to vs. the ones actually doing something in the form of protest or activism. There were many hippies/ bums on the street, and one even asked for money saying, “I promise I won’t use it on anything but alcohol.” (!! made us sure we were not ever giving out money!) Considering the once vibrant movements sparked in this area, it is a shame there is not more of it going on today (disclaimer: the video does not necessarily represent our views).

We ducked into Amoeba Records & enjoyed poking through sales and new albums. We sampled some great music at the listening stations, such as Zero7. We walked across the street for lunch to Cha Cha Cha’s; they have some wonderful sangria. We hit the top of Golden Gate Park and then walked back through The Haight, taking in more sights and people-watching. The local thrift store (formerly the ‘free store’… watch the video) had a $2 sale, and Chip got a great Eddie Bauer button-down. We thought about buying computer speakers (you don’t realize what you really need until you are without!) but decided they would come in the mail soon enough. More on speakers later…

Noe Valley
This neighborhood has tried to keep a very low profile over the years, so it avoided inflated real estate prices during the dot-com boom. It’s an adorable area with flower boxes hanging on many windows, city benches near the sidewalks, and a close-knit feeling of community. We were excited to overhear a discussion of global trade as we walked along the residential streets. There are coffee shops, fresh veggie markets, and bistros lining the center of the neighborhood.

We are trying to learn about the neighborhoods in order to make the best decision about where to live & there are so many places that we like. It’s a huge blessing to have time on our side through the apartment-hunting process!