If getting lost is an art, I have mastered it with quiet dignity. It does help, of course, if you have both your girlfriends formulating detailed analyses of this series of unfortunate events and strategising on a plan B that is backtracking two wrong bus routes towards Union Square and starting from point zero…then wondering, 'Who left Sasha in charge of the map?'

Our much anticipated all-girl vacation to San Francisco was hailed by many as a waste of single space. 'If the person to your left is not gay and the person to your right isn't either, there are strong chances that you are,' advised a wise old college buddy before I left. This sums up the stereotype most people hold of this utterly charming city. And they're wrong. Well, almost anyway! But we were determined to explore…where many were enlightened before - the Haight.

Forty minutes and plenty of helpful guidance later, we reached the Haight. Gaping in awe, we entered the dazzling environs of Hippiedom. Although the street conveyed only fragments of erstwhile hippie days, we still felt we were stuck in a time warp of flower power culture. Store windows shouted in psychedelic hysteria and lured us in to inspect their wares.

It's 'Positively Haight Street', we were assured, as the incense hit our nostrils on entering the shop…which gave us a fair idea of its offerings. Seventies' punk T-shirts, hemp bracelets, boho knits and skirts are still very much a style statement here. How I yearned to find the elusive, free loving, headbanded Marianne Faithful buying his daily ration of 'cool'. To my dismay, it was your average Motorazr-wielding yuppie buying…hold on…a sex pistols T-shirt and some 'aromatic' candles? Strange, but true; although the target audience has evolved considerably, the charm of this type of shop lies in keeping its displays true to its heyday and not looking too touristy.

South-east Asia has made a strong impact on the street as well. For 'The Love of Ganesha', you can get silk sarongs, jewellery, hookahs, teas, kurtas and henna kits from your friendly neighbourhood Haight shop. I'm pretty sure, if Mira Nair is still gung-ho about her documentary on the Beatles with the Maharishi, this is a one-stop shop for her accessories. Your dose of exotica is finally complete with a meditation room, where anyone can grab a cup of chai. But come noon, our appetites were beyond the call of simple teas and were inclined towards something more substantial.

A gastronomic fiesta awaits you at the Haight. The variety of cuisines on the street is mind-boggling. Not surprisingly, it was also an argument in the making. Were we in the mood for tofu kebabs and caramel apples from the Asqew Grill (everything is served on a skewer here) or avocado burritos and other healthy options from the Blue Front Café (the genie looks so friendly)? Or maybe if we were adventurous we could have tried East African food at the Massawa. I still find it so refreshing how old college habits die hard. I'm still the bullied one and my friend, Uma, makes the final wise decisions. Isha, my buddy, has resigned herself to 'whatever you two blondes decide'.