A literary day

We had one full day in San Francisco, enroute to the UK. I had been in SF twice before, in ‘79 and ’89. I was surprised, in ’89, to see many homeless people whose presence was not evident 10 years before. More of that later…

We had to decide how to best use our day. We were happy to enjoy and absorb less, at our leisure, rather than race and around trying to see more. We headed on foot up through Chinatownto North Beach, gathering place in the 1950s of Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerousac and others who formed the core of the Beat Generation.

First port-of-call was City Lights, the bookstore on Columbus Avenue founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. We nearly didn’t emerge again! Wonderful, three-level building, fabulous selection of books. We limited our purchases to four slight poetry collections, mindful of weight. Then next door to Vesuvio, little changed since it was a favourite bar for the beat poets. We confined ourselves to green tea.

A walk down Columbus Avenue to Vallejo Street where we found Cafe Trieste – third corner of the beat trinity. The highlight here was sitting with a 75-year old almost blind and partly deaf local who had once been an opera singer. Sadly we didn’t ask his name but we had a great conversation and learned a little more about the changing face of SF.

From there a short wander to Washington Square and a bus up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower from where there is a superb 360-degree view of the city. Also a wonderful collection of murals painted by 26 local artists in the social realist style of Diego Riveria.

Bus back down to Fisherman’s Wharf by which time we were whacked and happy to sit and looked at moored ships in the collection of the SF Maritime historical park. Finally an exciting Powell-Hyde cable car back to Mason Street and an indifferent meal at a local diner.