Lower Haight, San Francisco, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lower Haight, sometimes known as the Haight-Fillmore, is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
The Lower Haight lies generally along Haight Street east of Divisadero Street, and between Oak Street (or Fell Street) on the north, and Duboce Avenue on south. The eastern boundary is variously placed at Webster Street, Laguna Street, or even Market Street. It is east of the more famous Haight-Ashbury, which is also known as the Upper Haight. The name derives from the significant elevation change as Haight Street climbs steeply from Scott Street to Buena Vista Park.
The area slopes down from Oak Street (north) toward Duboce (south). Duboce Park, toward the corner of Duboce and Scott, is a grassy park used mainly for dog-walking, along with a children's playground and the Harvey Milk Recreational Arts Building.
Adjacent neighborhoods include the Western Addition/Alamo Square to the north; Duboce Triangle to the south; Hayes Valley to the east; and the Upper Haight to the west.
The San Francisco Association of Realtors defines the area more narrowly as the "Haight-Fillmore" neighborhood, bounded by Steiner Street on the west, Webster Street on the east, Fell Street on the north, and Waller Street on the south. The Association considers the neighborhood to be a subset of the Hayes Valley (District 6B). [1]
[edit] Description
A mixture of restaurants, small nightclubs, drinking establishments, residences, shoe stores, and hair salons characterizes the Lower Haight. The only non-independent presence in the neighborhood is the Walgreens at the corner of Haight and Fillmore.
Differences between Lower and Upper Haight include the housing projects in the Lower Haight, and the smaller number, variety and gentrification of shops than in the Upper Haight. The Victorian houses tend to be less ornately painted in the Lower Haight than in the Haight/Ashbury neighborhood, and rent can be cheaper. The neighborhood has been referred to as having a "post-punk, bohemian" atmosphere. It used to be a very dangerous place up until the mid-90s (the dot-com population boom, the rebuilt projects and the overall reduction of crime in SF all played a large role in changing that). While now it is relatively safer then years past, shootings are still common in the area.
The Buddhist San Francisco Zen Center is at the northeast edge of the neighborhood in an elegant brick building by famed architect Julia Morgan.
[edit] Transportation
The area is very well served by several San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) bus lines and it is a few blocks away from all of the MUNI Metro lines. The heart of the neighborhood, at the corner of Fillmore and Haight, is mere blocks away from the transit nexus of Church and Market, which is also the location of the city's largest supermarket. Surveys show that this neighborhood has one of the highest number of daily trips by bike per capita of any San Francisco neighborhood, and walking is also very popular.
[edit] Buses
The neighborhood is served by the east-west Haight Street lines of 6, 7, and 71, which connect downtown with various neighborhoods around and west of the Upper Haight. The 22 line runs north-south along Fillmore Street, connecting the Marina District with the bay side of Potrero Hill. The 24 line also runs north-south, along Divisadero, connecting Pacific Heights with the Mission and Hunter's Point neighborhoods. The 16 follows Oak (inbound) and Fell (outbound) Streets, but is a commuter express with only one stop inbound (A.M., at Oak and Franklin) and outbound (P.M., at Fell and Gough).
[edit] Metro
All five Muni Metro lines pass through the adjacent Duboce Triangle neighborhood. The N and J lines stop at Duboce and Church. The K, L and M stop at Church Street Station, at Church and Market.
[edit] Parking
There are no commercial parking lots in this neighborhood, and the on-street parking is extremely congested. As with most central and downtown San Francisco neighborhoods, it is advisable to find other methods of transportation, such as bicycles, public transportation, or taxis.
[edit] Commerce
The Lower Haight is dominated by food and drink establishments, whose regional appeal contribute to parking congestion during evenings and weekends. Other businesses include numerous hair and beauty salons, art galleries, several used record shops, a pet supply store, and a heavy concentration of Medical Cannabis dispensaries. The only non-independent corporate business is a Walgreens — and indeed several of the businesses in the neighborhood are eclectic and owner-operated.
[edit] Cafés, Bars and Restaurants
- Ali Baba's Cave - Mediterranean food
- Axum - Ethiopian cafe
- Bean There
- Burger Joint
- Café du Soleil
- Café International
- Chili Cha Cha
- Cuco's - Mexican / Salvadoran
- Hanabi - Japanese restaurant
- Indian Oven
- Kate's Kitchen
- La Carreta
- Love 'n' Haight
- Mad Dog in the Fog
- Memphis Minnie's
- Metro Cafe
- Molotov's
- Mythic Pizza
- Naan and Chutney - Indian restaurant
- Noc Noc
- Raja Cuisine
- RNM
- Rosamunde Sausage Grill
- Rotee - Indian/Pakistani restaurant
- Squat and Gobble (crepes and breakfast fare)
- The Grind
- Thep Phenom
- Toronado
- Volare Pizza
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Lower Haight Neighborhood Site
- WikiTravel: Haight-Fillmore
- SFStation: Districts: Lower Haight
- Lower Haight group, Tribe.net.
- Google map of neighborhood
- Friends of Duboce Park
