North Beach
North Beach is probably the calmest, quietest time in North Beach is the morning. It has been a predominantly Italian neighborhood. Italian immigrants who first arrived in San Francisco in the 1860s chose North Beach because it reminded them of home and, up until the 1940s, offered affordable housing. North Beach is a perfect place for a lunch date. It is walking distance from the Downtown and Financial Districts. With its wide variety of restaurants, it can satisfy just about every taste and budget. I particularly like to meet out-of-town visitors in North Beach because of its history, local color, and wonderful array of unique shops in which to browse.
The Shops
Most of the shops are on Grant Avenue, Columbus Avenue, and Stockton Street, between Broadway and Chestnut Street, and on their intersecting streets. Throughout, but especially on Stockton Street, you will also find Chinese markets and shops; Chinatown, whose northern border is “officially” Broadway, is expanding north. While there is metered parking on the streets throughout North Beach, finding a vacant spot is difficult. There are at least 20 more small lots and garages throughout North Beach. When you visit, pick up copy of the free monthly North Beach Now newspaper, available in most shops and restaurants; it is filled with information on what’s going on in North Beach and has a comprehensive Parking Guide which you can save for future visits.
The most complete and efficient way to shop North Beach is to methodically walk up and down the three main streets, making short detours on the side streets. This assumes, of course, an ideal world in which all the shops you wish to visit are open. The reality of North Beach is that, while most shops are open by noon, some may be closed for unexpected or unknown reasons. Also, many shops still follow the North Beach tradition of closing on Wednesdays. A mention of North Beach to a longtime San Francisco resident will bring nostalgic thoughts of a Little Italy, the Beat Generation, and Carol Doda and the topless dance clubs. Most guide books give tourists much the same view. What is not that well known is that there are a lot of high-style shops in North Beach. Here are some highlights of what I consider some of North Beach’s most interesting shops.
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