San Francisco – has some of the United States’ densest hipster populations, and is home to one of the most hipster neighbourhoods country-wide, the Mission District, listed by Forbes. A hipster is defined by the things they do or are interested in and is often relegated to the demographic between their 20s and thirties. Described variously as counter-culture and overly trendy, hipsters defy social norms though they refuse to be recognised with labels, as the term is a pejorative applied to them by the media: hipsters are concerned about their inner lives and tastes and flourish best in the hippest hotspots such as places with free WiFi or the newest social scene.
Hipsters can likewise be spotted by the confidence and drive they have about their own passions, and San Francisco is the perfect place where they can gather and enjoy each other’s’ company and similar interests. Found in San Francisco’s neighborhoods is a thriving hipster culture of restaurant- and bar-goers, live music watchers, and cafe visitors. Read about these places, and don’t forget to check out our JustFly app reviews as well for information about apps, travel, and connecting with other hipsters!
- Zeitgeist
199 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103
This place is perfect for San Franciscan hipsters even moreso if they know what zeitgeist means, which is probably something they’d keep to themselves but outwardly behave as though they had a secret. Zeitgeist is a hotspot for taste testers of slowly-renowned craft beer and liquor, and draws in “lively crowds” of hipsters looking for something new to drink. The place has a spacious patio with gorgeous long benches outside that add to the friendly vibe, and patrons warm enough to entertain when conversation about hipster topics run dry.
- City Lights Bookstore
261 Columbus Ave, North Beach, San Francisco, California
Hipsters are defensive of their interests, especially of music, and in the world of literature they are the set who think that popular young adult novels are cool and mainstream successful books aren’t just the opposite but downright unacceptable.
Hipster consciousness goes back to a remembrance of the Beat Generation. Enter the iconic City Lights Bookstore, reading books being a hipster classic. The multi-level City Lights Bookstore now has murals outside just as fascinating as the books and literary events it stages: a paradoxically hidden but highly-renowned book joint that’s worth the visit, if only to snuggle up with some hipsters boring into a tome.
- Phone Booth
25th & South Van Ness
Go here if you want to meet people or simply down cheap liquor in a very small space. Hipsters arrive in small droves to one of the most popular dive bars in San Francisco: an “eccentric” decidedly dark place with a pool table, a jukebox, and free popcorn. All sorts frequent here for its memorable service, which includes donut salads with a liberal-loving and predominantly youth-fired cult following.
- Mission Bar
2697 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Mission Bar is another Mission favorite, especially among locals who love to relax cheap drink in hand, and listen to the straining music blaring from the jukebox as they unwind. The dark indoor bar is actually pretty spacious capable of seating many people at a time, even during their Happy Hours and, like Phone Booth, has a pool table, and welcomes hipsters of all ages.
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission St., Financial District
Hipsters are culture vultures and as they are big fans of potential fandoms, also find an outlet in visiting artistic programs and events by the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, for example. This center has visual arts offerings, exhibitions from various institutions, and showings of performance art and films that draw in art enthusiasts from the area.
One afternoon in San Francisco’s hippest hotspots will give you an idea why hipsters gather here or what they do. We hope that you learned more about hipsters, their subculture, what they do, and where they hang out in San Francisco. Hipsters will find ways to feed their drive for subsistence and life, and a country that is filled with hotspots is the perfect breeding ground for these people to find their haven.
We hope you enjoyed reading this JustFly reviews 5 Hipster Hotspots article, happy travelling!
