Page 44 - AVN August 2017

TECH NEWS
ENDLESS SUMMER
Sexy San Francisco relives 1967—and you can too
our little six-passenger vehicle, we pack tons of historic facts, interesting stories and good old
fun.”
The bus also stops for group photos, selfies, belfies and “amazing picture opportunities to
forever capture your adventure in San Francisco.” Among these is the legendary Coit Tower,
affectionately known as “Coitus Tower.” The penis shaped Art Deco tower was built in 1923
by eccentric socialite Lillie Hitchcock Coit, who smoked cigars and dressed in men’s clothes
to sneak into gambling joints where women were not allowed. The building was designed
to look like the nozzle of a fire hose to honor the city’s firefighters, but to this day it is the
subject of continued dick jokes. (And apparently, according to sex studies, a place where
people say they’ve had secret sex in public.)
And if you want something more lovey-dovey, try the 90-minute night tour. The tour
guides promise, “You will surely fall in love with San Francisco at night. The best time to fall
in love is after the sun sets!” Visitors will see the San Francisco skyline set to the strains of
Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”—and blankets are provided to aid with
snuggling. Visit SanFranciscoLoveTours.com.
2017 MARKS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY of the “Summer of Love.” In 1967
more than 100,000 people flocked to San Francisco to join the hippie
“movement.” Although the “scene” was simultaneously happening
in New York (Greenwich Village) and Los Angeles (Sunset Boulevard
and Laurel Canyon), San Francisco had the biggest countercultural
AT ONE POINT THOUSANDS
subculture. Since most people who resisted the mainstream culture were
under 30, the phrase “Don’t trust anyone over 30” was born. And it was
OF PEOPLE COULD BE SEEN
that summer when the sexual revolution began …
According to those who were there, at one point thousands of people
SPRAWLED OUT ON THE
could be seen sprawled out on the streets of Haight-Ashbury, also known
STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO’S
as “Hashbury.” Hippies were experimenting with cannabis, LSD, “free
love” and loving the one(s) you’re with. If you weren’t there, you wished
you were.
HAIGHT-ASHBURY, ALSO KNOWN AS “HASHBURY.” … IF YOU
The Love Bus
Visitors to San Francisco can relive the spirit of 1967 this summer with
the SF Love Tour. According to the company that offers the excursion,
WEREN’T THERE, YOU WISHED YOU WERE.
“San Francisco Sightseeing Tours aims to provide an enthusiastic
and authentic way to get to know San Francisco. Hitch a ride for an
experience that mixes both our love for modern-day living and our
memories of San Francisco in days gone by. Our 1970s Volkswagen
Buses, complete with neon blue seats, beaded curtains and shag carpets,
foster a hippie vibe that celebrates Peace Love Freedom & Adventure. You
will see breathtaking marvels such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard
Street, Chinatown, the Castro and much more.”
The bus tours also hit the romantic Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown,
drives past the famous vintage rows of Victorian houses called
the “Painted Ladies,” and cruises through the Castro District (the
“gayborhood”).
“Travel down unique streets where other buses are forbidden,” the
tour company boasts. “Visit the homes of San Francisco’s counterculture
icons such as the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, while
grooving to the sounds of the ’60s and other San Francisco classics. In
SEXPLORATIONS | By Anka Radakovich
Clockwise from top, the Love Bus; inside the GLBT Historical Society and Museum; political buttons on
display at the De Young Museum’s exhibit “Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion, and Rock & Roll.”
44 | AVN.com | 8.17
Feelin’ Groovy (and Gay)
For the gay perspective on the Summer of Love, the GLBT Historical Society and Museum
presents a new exhibition: Lavender-Tinted Glasses: A Groovy Gay Look at the Summer of Love.
“In San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury District, young people were seeking a way out of what
they saw as the soul-destroying alienation of materialism,” curator Joey Cain says. “They
created new art, philosophies, politics, forms of self-expansion, music and relationships. The
city already had a dynamic LGBTQ community, and many members saw the developments of
the Summer of Love as opening the way to greater liberation.”
(Continued on page 101)