Old Town became a destination. I would see Janis Joplin dragging her guitar case down the street, Mama Cass on her way to Mother Blues, Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield, who were from Chicago, were here. It was a bohemian atmosphere where you would see people with guitars and long hair, a place where you could fly your freak flag, a carnival that didn't exist anywhere else. |
Old Town was, and still is, a place where gay people own and patronize the businesses and generally behave freely. I remember in 1962 Gene Siegel opened his antique store. He had a great store filled with odds and ends from all over, but he was also a raving queen and never tried to hide it, which was risky in those days. |