North Beach is one of the oldest districts in San Francisco. Nestled between Chinatown to the south and Fisherman's Wharf to the north, North Beach forms the City's Little Italy district. Old-style Italian cafes and restaurants line the steep streets.

North Beach was also the West Coast's capital for the Beatnik movement in the 1950s. Today, Broadway is a seedy street lined with adult bookstores and strip clubs; strangely, like everything in San Francisco, they retain a certain charm.

See

• City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Ave (at Broadway), (415) 362-8193. Every day 10AM-Midnight. Co-founded by Beat poet Lawrence Ferlenghetti, City Lights was one of the centers of the Beat community in the 1950s. Today you can go there and check out a large selection of books of every type. http://www.citylights.com/
• Music City San Francisco. Rudy Colombini's Center for the Performing Arts http://www.musiccitysf.com Music museum, cafe, nightclub, and performing arts space.
• Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Rock and Roll Museum http://www.rockhallsf.com Departures daily. See exhibits focused on musicians from San Francisco and who changed the San Francisco music scene.
• Coit Tower, 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd (limited parking; or take #39 Muni bus from Washington Square), (415) 362-0808 (tour contact: Masha Zakheim <mzakheim@earthlink.net>). Every day, 10AM-5PM. Visible from all parts of San Francisco and the Bay Area, Coit Tower stands atop Telegraph Hill, and gives an excellent view of the rest of the Bay. The tower was built by the federal Works Projects Administration in 1933 with money bequeathed by eccentric San Franciscan Lillie Coit. Coit was told to have chased after firefighters as a young girl, and as an older woman sponsored her favorite fire company. A fan of the volunteer city firefighters, and local legend has it that the shape of the tower is supposed to simulate the end of a firehose -- although the architects denied this claim. The first and second floor house beautiful examples of New Deal-era idealist murals, and the top floor (reached by elevator) has featured paintings or other art. Artists put in their own signatures and messages in the murals, which interpretive plaques point out. $3 (elevator to top floor; the rest is free). http://www.coittower.org/
• Washington Square From 8am to 10am every day locals practice tai-chi, the martial art and meditation practice. Different sections of the park will host everything from jazzercise to sword-play. Sunny days will bring out locals lounging on their blankets. Art fairs are frequent, and the oyster-beer fair in March is very popular (www.oreillysoysterfestival.com.). Note the sculpture to volunteer firefighters on the Columbis Ave. side. The St. Peter and Paul church of the Salesians borders the northern side. Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe were photographed outside of the church, but they could not be married inside because she was divorced. Monroe and Dimaggio had their reception around the corner at a place which is now called "Pena Pacha Mama" (Powell St between Union & Green).

Sleep

• Washington Square Inn, 1660 Stockton Street, Toll Free: (800) 388-0220, Ph: (415) 981-4220, Fax: (415) 397-7242, [mailtoinfo@wsisf.com info@wsisf.com], [1]. This inn strives to offer the comforts of a small European hotel. Amenities include free wireless Internet access, complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea, evening hors d'oeuvres and wine, and full office services in the lobby. Rooms feature European antiques, cable TV, soft robes and private baths. Some rooms have sitting areas in bay windows, while others offer a cozy atmosphere with private fireplaces. Views from the hotel include Coit Tower, Russian Hill, Washington Square Park and the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Paul.

• Hotel Boheme, 444 Columbus Ave, Ph: (415) 433-9111, Fax: (415) 362-6292, [2]. Hotel Boheme is located in a popular Italian neighborhood with decorations that pay tribute to San Francisco's Beat Generation. The building may be hard to find, with only a single innocuous doorway covered by a small awning. Buzz at the door to enter but you get a key for this door on check in. Past the door is a steep and narrow staircase leading up to the next floor. On the second floor to the right of the landing is the hotel office. A bottle of Sherry surrounded by cordial glasses is set out for guests on the landing sideboard each night. Hotel staff are always friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about everything San Francisco.

Eat

• Enrico's, 504 Broadway (at Kearny) (street parking is tough, but they provide valet parking), (415) 982-6223, reservations recommended. Enrico's is one of the classic hangouts in the neighborhood, having been around since 1958. They feature live jazz nightly, and provide a nice (though small) if you're just in the mood for a drink. Be aware that it gets very crowded on the weekends. http://www.enricossidewalkcafe.com/ Featured in the movie Bullitt, where Steve McQueen meats his bohemian informant.
• L'Osteria del Forno, 519 Columbus, (415) 982-1124, no reservations. A charming, crowded locally known date restaurant, L'Osteria has a line out the door after 5pm, so arrive early. The small semi-surly staff cooks up wonderful, affordably-priced dishes in the kitchen's one oven, so things can take a little while... specials on the menu: the roast pork, baked penne, and salmon carpaccio are favorites. Excellent Italian wine selection by the glass and bottle. Cannot seat more than 4 in a party. Closed Tuesdays.
• The House, 1230 Grant (at Columbus), (415) 986-8612, reservations recommended. The home of Asian fusion cuisine. The dining space is tiny, but the possible ensuing wait is worth it. Don't miss the scallop-topped Caesar salad or the often-imitated seared Ahi tuna.
• Caffè Puccini, 411 Columbus, (415) 989-7033. Puccini serves a mean cappuccino, but they also offer a delicious homemade lasagna. The walls are adorned with opera posters, and the sounds of Verdi and spoken Italian are in the air. Excellent tiramisu, the Italian layered custard and chocolate dessert.
• Ristorante Gondola, 15 Columbus (at Washington St, near TransAmerica building). Simple Italian with varied menu. Not in the crowded blocks so tends to have easy seating and less intrusive staff. The pumpkin ravioli is a favorite. Affordable, with excellent Italian wine selection. No restriction on size of party. Parking at Chinese Catholic Center on Jackson.
• Iluna Basque, 701 Union Street at Powell Street. One block kitty corner from Washington Street park on the Russian Hill side. Basque tapas plates, small, moderately priced. Great wine list. Founded by 23-year old restauranteur Mattina Noblia (former top chef at Piperade), hosts excellent meat and roasted options with a great glass of wine. Dark red curtains, late hours and great food.
• Caffe Sport 574 Green Street off Columbus. 415.981.1251 Tue-Sat noon-2p, 5-10:30p, closed Sun, Mon Closed on Sundays. Italian food meets hippy bus. Plates of pasta served family style. Some very nice seafood pastas. They may bring what you order, or perhaps what the chef thinks would go together better. They have house wine, served in water tumblers. Small, a little noisy, a lot of fun. Cash only. I'm unaware of a web site, but there is a writeup here
• Bocadillos 710 Montgomery at Washington Street. Basque restaurant in North Beach, good champagne and rose wine selection. Menu favorites: serrano ham, crab fritters. Tapas, small plates, moderately priced. Modern decor with windows onto Washington Street. Bubble Lounge is next door, also specializing in huge champagne colelction. Gets very well-dressed crowd in after work and later evening. No line (yet) and serves parties up to 10, but small space.

Drink

• Fuse, 493 Broadway (at Kearny). Catering to a musical taste that leans towards electronica, Fuse regularly features DJs that spin a variety of house and downtempo. This being San Francisco, the crowd tends to show up on the late side, but when they turn out they arrive in force. Fuse isn't that big so, if you arrive after everyone, be prepared to wait in line. The dance floor is minimal, establishing a space that's more for drinking and enjoying the music than getting funky. However, the quality of music is fun, and the bar staff is very friendly. http://www.fusesf.com/
• North Star, 1560 Powell (at Green). The North Star is a standard bar that you will find almost everywhere in the U.S. It has pool tables, a bar, and as the evening goes on becomes standing room only. This is a good bar for hanging out with friends and making new ones.
• Specs Columbus street, down a small alley off of Columbus around the corner from Tosca. Mariner's hangout and general dive bar in North Beach, this is a hidden gem.
• 15 Romolo 15 Romolo at Broadway, half block in from Columbus intersection. The hidden bar has a lovely dark red decor. Formerly the "Basque Hotel" this historic hotel and bar becomes quite crowded on one of the busiest blocks during a Friday and Saturday night in North Beach. It's also positioned on a steep street, with a side entrance that seems furtive and secret.
• Tosca Columbus and Broadway, on Columbus southern block. The bar is named after the opera Tosca and has an intense list of operas on the jukebox. Willie Brown, former mayor, hangout. Photos: http://www.snapcity.com/past/snap3/snap3.html. Special drink: the cappuccino, which has alcohol in it. There are about 15 cappuccinos lined up on the bar ready to serve, they are so popular.