San Francisco’s Historic North Beach, Now
San Francisco treats tourists to marvelous diversity. Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square, Jackson Square, Chinatown, the Castro and the Height, and other neighborhoods have their unique charms, but my favorite San Francisco browse is North Beach, the enticing district aka Little Italy.
North Beach has a lot of history. Actually, you have to know some of it in order to understand the origin of the neighborhood’s name.
There’s no beach at North Beach -- but once there was.
In fact, the area was San Francisco’s shore line until the late 19th century, when it was transformed by landfill into viable and valuable real estate, where residences, shops, warehouses and other facilities were built to serve the docks and fishing wharfs constructed along the newly formed shoreline.
The southern-most part of North Beach, the part adjacent to the new docks and wharfs, became the infamous Barbary Coast, where saloons and cat houses were frequented by sailors and dockworkers, as well as some politicos and other moguls of dubious repute.
A considerably cleaned up Barbary Coast is now known as Jackson Square, but there are still a number of strip joints and x-rated attractions in the area, including the Lusty Lady (famous because it’s the world‘s only worker-owned strip club, among other reasons), Carol Doda’s notorious Condor Club, and Larry Flynt’s Hustler’s Club.
But, less salacious adventures are on tap at North Beach’s comedy clubs and theaters, all of which are highly rated -- albeit without an X. For up to the minute detailed club and theater information, it’s best to consult your hotel concierge, who will be able to describe what’s playing and guide you to what’s best.
But, back to North Beach history: The 1906 Earthquake pretty much destroyed the entire neighborhood, which was subsequently rebuilt. It was during and following the reconstruction that a huge population of Italian immigrants, many of whom worked on the nearby docks, moved to North Beach. They brought with them a real flavor of Italy, expressed primarily in the proliferation of Italian eateries established in the area. These ranged from restaurants offering fine dining to casual bistros, from coffee houses to emporia selling sweets of all sorts. Many of these fabulous foodie finds still attract locals and visitors. If you love food, you’ll fall in love with North Beach.
We’ll probably never know whether it was the interesting cultural mix, the great food or the cheap rents -- or perhaps a combination of all three -- that attracted San Francisco’s beat generation to North Beach during the 1950s, but it was here that the original ‘beatniks,’ including Jack Kerouack, Alan Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, Gregory Cor so and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, among others, lived and worked, and congregated at their favorite hang outs.
One of these, Cafe Trieste, is still located at 601 Vallejo Street, its walls now lined with photos of famous literati, artists, and performers who’ve frequented the place. It‘s still a favorite neighborhood meeting spot. As such, it’s a great place for tourists to sip a cup of steaming espresso or cappuccino, munch a slice of artisanal pizza, and soak up some artsy North Beach ambiance.
You can sit outdoors and watch the world go by, or step inside and sit at a table at which a famous poem might have been penned. Either way, entertain yourself by watching the people around you, and eavesdropping on their conversations. Cafe Trieste’s regular patrons range from hippies to yuppies, but most of them seem to be talking about books, art and music.
Speaking of which, put a coin in the Cafe Trieste juke box to invoke a favored selection from Puccini or Tony Bennett or some other classically popular piece of music. Or, ask for the live opera schedule, and stop back for that extra level of entertainment.
If you prefer to imbibe something stronger, head for Vesuvio, the popular saloon at 255 Columbus Avenue, at the corner of Jack Kerouac Alley. Guess there’s no need to spell out the name of one of Vesuvio’s famous frequent patrons.
Vesuvio, which is decorated with all sorts of intriguing memorabilia, has two seating areas. The downstairs main bar is small space, usually crowded with exuberantly chatty people. Upstairs, you’ll find a quieter room with intimate booths, some of which have a nice overview of North Beach street life. Be warned, though, that the stairs are narrow and a little creaky.
Vesuvio serves organic beers and spirits, and its specialty drinks are inventive. Yes, there is a concoction called the Jack Kerouac. It‘s a highly intoxicating blend of tequila and rum that might make those narrow stairs seem impossible to negotiate. So, as they say, take it easy, but take it.
Be sure to take note, too, of the street mural on exterior wall of Vesuvio that borders Jack Kerouac Alley. It‘s filled with images of historic figures and events and it, like the other street art that’s scattered around North Beach, is a tribute to the writers, artists and musicians whose cultural contributions made the neighborhood what it is today.
Another nearby cultural landmark is the City Lights Bookstore, at the corner of Columbus and Broadway. Established in 1953 and owned by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, City Lights is the headquarters for the poet’s publishing company, and has two retail floors that are chock-a-bloc with wonderful reads ranging from the beats to the classics to contemporary avantgarde writings that are not readily available elsewhere. And, this is a great place to get non-literary souvenirs, including book bag, t-shirts, caps and coffee mugs with North Beach, City Lights and Ferlinghetti logos and slogans. Note in advance that the favorite color for wardrobe items is beatnik black.
Better yet, sign up for a walking tour of North Beach. That way, you’ll also get a running commentary not only about North Beach’s famous residents, but its vintage architecture, most of it dating back to the reconstruction period during the early 1900s. The commercial buildings -- now housing trendy shops and boutiques along side the more traditional shops -- the residences -- now occupied by a very mixed population of Italians, Chinese and yuppies -- have lovely architectural details.
The best walking tours of North Beach combine sight seeing with nibbling, so you get to sample the neighborhood’s best coffee, pastry, bread, handmade chocolates and other goodies and you don’t need to feel at all guilty about indulging yourself to the max, because you’re walking it all off.
