Neighborhood Observation Paper

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Neighborhood Observation On a Friday afternoon at about 1:50 pm Hayes Valley was already full with families, couples and individuals enjoying the 67 degree weather. The sky was clear and the sun was out. The constant cool breeze from the West makes it bearable to sit under the heat. Before going to work, I walked down Hayes Street from Market where I passed by encampments created by the homeless community. The sidewalk was dark and gritty, unfavorable scents dominate my senses. I walk pass the Civic Center Auditorium, The San Francisco Symphony and the Nourse Theatre, when I'm suddenly greeted by high-end restaurant on the corner of Franklin and Hayes aptly named the Grove Hayes Valley. The restaurant was under a newly constructed apartment …show more content…

The development of the area seemed quite new, and I wonder when did this all start. How did these boutique shops and high end restaurant end up setting up shop? Which shops were here firsts? What shops or restaurants were booted out of the area because it was not “hip” enough. I did notice that despite the neighborhood’s fast development there are still some businesses that seem to have survived through the years. There is a combination of new and old businesses in Hayes Valley which in turn caters to a larger and more diverse clientele. High-end consumers are able to drink expensive alcohol at Absinthe while others are able to get other beverages at the Biergarten. The great upkeep of the neighborhood may also be the result of it being a tourist destination. The boutiques and restaurants in the area are definitely the types of restaurants that would be popular to tourists who don't necessarily like “touristy” areas of the city. Its close proximity to Alamo Square and the Painted Ladies adds to its value as destination. On a positive note, through this consumerist culture that thrives in Hayes Valley, it successfully draws a large demographic within the surrounding area to one place. It brings together a sort of consumerist community, but it’s a community

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