North Beach

North Beach boasts a rich history, from the Italian immigrants who built it in the early 1900s to the Beats who created a new literature in the 1950s. Generations later, the Italian and Beat influences persist in the form of many Italian restaurants, pizzerias and coffeehouses, where espresso-fueled poets still produce counterculture verse.

The heart of North Beach can be found on Columbus Avenue, which slices through the neighborhood like a butcher’s knife through salami. The boulevard slashes diagonally from Chinatown to Fisherman’s Wharf, and in the middle of that stretch is Washington Square. It’s on the Square where you’ll find locals enjoying their daily rituals, whether it’s practicing Tai Chi, sketching or just sitting on the grass. The park is literally lorded over by the twin spires of the cathedral-like Saints Peter & Paul Church.

There is a substantial effort to preserve the flavor of the neighborhood against the forces of tourism and gentrification, so you won’t see any chains and you may see fourth-generation Italian-Americans hanging on to rent-controlled flats. But that doesn’t mean North Beach isn’t always packed with tourists. Tour buses share the road with local buses; neighborhood residents share the sidewalks with camera-toting tourists from Europe and Asia.

And no wonder, with so much to see and do. Besides the restaurants, coffeehouses and bars that line Columbus and adjacent streets (notably Stockton, Green and Grant), you can take the Greenwich Steps from Greenwich & Grant to the Coit Tower, with its marvelous murals and a commanding view of the city. You can visit City Lights on Columbus, the bookstore that nurtured the Beat movement, and the Beat Museum around the corner on Broadway, where you’ll learn all about Beat legends Kerouac and Ginsberg. Or you can just sit at an outdoor table at a café on Columbus and watch the world go by.

One small part of North Beach on Broadway is known for its strip clubs, but even this three-block-long stretch of adults-only entertainment has its place in San Francisco history. In 1964, the Condor Club opened as America’s first topless bar and there’s a plaque on the building to commemorate this distinction.

HelloSanFrancisco tip: Many restaurants, cafes and even City Lights Books stay open until late at night, making North Beach the best neighborhood in the city for night owls.
 

- by Bob Cooper, San Francisco Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Bob Cooper

Bob Cooper is a full-time freelance writer (www.bob-cooper.com) who writes about travel, outdoor sports and health. He is a monthly contributor to Runner's World and has written recent articles for other national magazines such as Continental, Ladies' Home Journal and Inc.