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North Beach – San Francisco’s
‘Little Italy’
The small little
neighbor of San Francisco is the North Beach, most popularly
recognized as San Francisco’s ‘Little Italy’, for historically
having nested a large Italian American population. Even today,
numerous Italian restaurants and cultures can be observed in
this San Franciscan neighborhood.
For its amazing red life and nightlife fused by young urban
families and the Chinese immigrants, the American Planning
Association posed North Beach as one of the top ten ‘Great
Neighborhoods in America’.
Location
This petite companion of San Francisco is bounded by the Jackson
Square (formerly the Barbary Coast), Chinatown, Russian hill,
Telegraph hill, Financial District and the Fisherman’s Wharf.
So
if you are visiting the Chinatown and the Fisherman’s Wharf, and
desire to explore much more of California, North Beach is just a
few miles away.
History
Major chunk of today’s North Beach was actually a beach, filled
with landfill till around the late 19th century.
Initially, its northeastern coastline extended only up till the
Taylor and Francisco streets we see today. The newly formed
shoreline was then adorned with the fishing wharves, docks and
warehouses.
While the 1950s marked the bounce of cafes and bars, giving rise
to the San Franciscan Renaissance, the 1980s earmarked the
shrink in its Italian American population, which in turn
welcomed young urban professional and Chinese immigrants.
Attractions
Though the Italian crowd might have seemed to condense, much
flavor of the Italian remnants can be still enjoyed at the North
Beach. Numerous Italian cafes, bakeries and restaurants are
worth trying. If you haven’t visited Italy, this is the best
location to sense its essence; if you have visited Italy
earlier, find yourselves indulging once again into its exquisite
beauty!
The Transamerica Pyramid is one must-visit, very visible from
the Columbus Avenue. The national shrine of Francis of Assis is
located in the small chapel of the Vallejo Street. Other
landmarks of the Italian masterpieces can also be observed at
the Sts. Peter and Paul Church.
North Beach has always been renowned for its bars, strip clubs,
night clubs, jazz clubs and much more. The Broadway east of
Columbus Avenue still stands as the city’s potent nightclub and
red-light area.
Father’s Day can be celebrated with great pomp and show if you
are in North Beach, for its street fairs on the Grant Avenue on
that day are the eye-catching attractions. The Columbus Day is
yet another major celebration day with day-long parades from the
Columbus Avenue to the Aquatic Park.
Art lovers can amuse themselves at the San Franciscan Art
Institute, positioned at the northern end of the town as well as
the Academy of Art University.
Delicious platters
One can relish the Italian, American, and the local cuisines at
the varied restaurants, bars, cafes and bakeries, all set to
render a great taste to their visitors.
Restaurants such as Vicolleto,
Enrico's Sidewalk Café,
E' Tutto Qua,
North Beach
Pizza, Fior D'Italia, O'Reilly's Irish Pub & Restaurant, and
many more offer their splendid expertise in their culinary
skills. Cafes and bars such as Caffe Greco, Stella Pasticceria e
Caffe, Curly's Coffee Shop,
etc are worth visiting.
The ‘Little Italy proudly presents its Italian
and Indo-American flavor in your stay at the North Beach, one of the
little neighborhoods of San Francisco.
more at:
http://www.sfnorthbeach.org/
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