There are a number of historical books about Haight-Ashbury but nothing that portrayed the modern Haight-with its rich mix of 1960's tie dyes, 1980's Deadheads and 2000's murals recalling the past. This was the germ of the idea to create a book of images that reflects the Haight of today.

But the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood does not exist in isolation. Its history and culture are intertwined with the City of San Francisco and the Greater Bay Area that surround it hence the structure and title of the book.

For the production of this book Dick worked closely with his long time photo-editor, Yasemin Kant. Ben Fong-Torres, noted Bay Area writer and former founding editor of Rolling Stone magazine, wrote the Foreword and section introductions. The background research was provided by local guide and historian Stannous Flouride.