A couple of years ago, it felt like Upper Haight wasn’t doing so well, with the closures of establishments like Club Deluxe, Hobson’s Choice, Trax, and Milk Bar. But recently it feels like the area has some new energy. The DeLuxe is back up and running with live music, The Green Heron (which replaced Hobson’s Choice) is serving up great craft beers and cocktails, Mary’s on Haight has stepped up in place of Trax, and local bands and comedians are performing at O’Reilly’s Pub.

Down the block, The Mellow (a former plant store) just started Mellow Nights, an evening of live jazz and soul music. And right at the corner of Haight and Ashbury, KEXP and the Blue Bear School of Music are teaming up to explore turning the historic Doolan-Larson building into a music and community center with a live broadcast studio.

This past weekend I went to Haight Street for the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair, and though it was foggier than expected, it was lively, with young neighborhood rock bands, a high-energy skateboard competition, and people packing the bars along the street.

I stopped by the Mission on Saturday afternoon to check out the annual Lowrider Parade. This year marked the SF Lowrider Council’s 45th anniversary.

Dozens of customized cars cruised down Mission Street between Cesar Chavez and 17th Street. Crowds lined the sidewalks, armed with their nicest cameras to capture the occasion. There were plenty of Impalas, with some riding low, and some popping up at dramatic angles.

We’re keeping an eye on a few spots opening soon:

Piedays Pizza: The recently closed Tastebuds space on Balboa will soon reopen as a new pizza shop.

Hi NRG Coffee: We saw people inside the new location at 22nd and Geary when we walked past, but the official opening is today.

Evermore Tea & Coffee: Work is underway at 3rd and Clement, where the former Cumaica Coffee is being turned into Evermore.

Forever Grateful: Biking through Golden Gate Park, we passed the County Fair Building, which is hosting a Grateful Dead exhibition.

On Saturday, we stopped by a weekend garage pop-up in NoPa, which featured Blue House coffee, pastries from Loaf SF, and a live jazz band. The line went all the way down the block, so we headed over to Matching Half around the corner.

On our way to the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair, we also spotted the Golden Gate Walk Club gathering in a huge crowd outside Flywheel Coffee before kicking off their route. If you’re looking to meet new people in the city right now, it seems like everyone is hanging out at coffee parties and walk / run clubs.