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North Beach is that
rare thing -- a neighborhood
that manages to be a
perennial hit with tourists,
and also to remain beloved
by San Franciscans. It's
best known as San
Francisco's Little Italy,
with its high density of
check-clothed ristorantes,
caffes and Old World
delicatessens. It's also a
popular pilgrimage for fans
of the Beat movement seeking
the old haunts of Kerouac
and Ginsberg. However, North
Beach is no relic, and it
has much to offer beyond
pasta and poetry. City
Lights in North Beach
This vital neighborhood is
home to some of the
liveliest nightclubs and
bars in town. Small
boutiques carrying handmade
clothing and imported goods
dot the streets,
particularly on upper Grant
Avenue. Though Italian
restaurants appear to
dominate the dining scene,
there are plenty of other
good spots to try once
you've had your fill of
lasagna, with menus
featuring Japanese, French
and contemporary fusion
cuisine. City Lights,
original publisher of Allen
Ginsberg's "Howl," is still
one of the best bookstores
in San Francisco, and
founder Lawrence
Ferlinghetti can sometimes
be seen strolling the
neighborhood. Then there's
Broadway, buzzing with neon
and strip clubs and adding
an incongruous dash of
sleaze to all the culture
and history.
Part of the old Barbary
Coast, North Beach is
steeped in the past -- Grant
Avenue itself is the oldest
street in San Francisco. In
the early days, North Point
docks served as a gateway
for immigrants from South
America, Europe and the
Australian penal colonies.
It wasn't until the late
1800s that thousands of
Italians made the area their
stronghold and turned it
into the local Latin
Quarter. The
Italian-American community
can also be credited in part
with protecting the
neighborhood against the
fire that swept the city
after the 1906 earthquake.
According to legend, some
enterprising residents
cracked open the barrels of
red wine in their cellars
and saved their houses by
draping them with
wine-soaked blankets. In
more recent history, North
Beach has produced some
notable people, including
baseball great Joe DiMaggio,
who moved there at the age
of one and grew up in a flat
at Valparaiso and Taylor.
Former San Francisco mayor
Joseph Alioto was born in
North Beach.
Whether prowling for
historic landmarks, sampling
house-roasted espressos,
shopping, clubbing, or
chowing down, you'll find
North Beach has plenty to
offer for both a leisurely
afternoon visit and a night
on the town. Take a detour
off the main drag of
Columbus and you're likely
to run across some
unexpected treasure of a
shop, restaurant or
spectacular view. A word to
the wise: avoid driving if
possible, or plan to use a
parking garage, as street
parking in the area is
notoriously scarce. Instead,
try taking one of the three
major bus lines (#15, #30
and #45) or two Cable Car
lines that pass through the
neighborhood.
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