Photo Essay: North Beach
Little Italy, Chinatown, and how to maneuver amongst the crowds.
The day I moved into my North Beach apartment quickly became 'the perfect introduction' to living in one of the city's busiest neighborhoods. There was no available parking on the street that day, and I dodged tourists as I lugged my furniture into my apartment which was on the busiest street in the Italian district. I also found pasta sauce on my shirt and I hadn’t even visited an Italian restaurant.
So, as I said, it was the perfect North Beach initiation. I've since learned that all of my complications are just common NB stumbling blocks. I eventually found less frequented parking areas (I'll take those secret spots with me to my grave), mastered the art of the shoulder 'sway' to move through the tourist crowds, and accepted that sauce stains are just going to happen every now and then in North Beach.
Most days in the neighborhood are bathed in sunlight with the thick SF fog repelled by Russian Hill. The sun highlights the iconic Victorian architecture that characterizes the North Beach aesthetic, spilling light into the old Italian cafes.
Eclectic bars border every street, with establishment signs indicating their early (often in the 1900s) conceptions. Laundromats nestle into small doorways and are busied by so much clothing that there’s only just enough space for one store owner standing in the doorway.
In the early morning on the north side of Columbus Avenue, you can see tech workers quietly leaving their homes, heading towards the financial district. Restaurant owners begin hosing down the sidewalks in an effort to erase the events of the night before, pausing only to let the dog walkers pass by.
The south side of Columbus Avenue is an entirely different world. Italian restaurants and Victorian apartments make way for the dim sum shops and red-brick buildings of Chinatown. The morning markets often bustle well before sunrise, and the crowded streets are full of basket-laden produce and school-uniformed children.
My days included morning visits to coffee shops, afternoon lounges in Washington Square Park, evening photo strolls, and sundown soccer with friends. The energy of the neighborhood occasionally gave me headaches, but most of the time, it fostered a sense of belonging. I enjoyed being part of the hubbub, doing my own thing just like everyone else.
While I love to credit San Francisco as a whole for helping me refine my photography, North Beach was my persistent source of inspiration. Little Italy, Chinatown, parks, hill vistas, and age-old architecture were all compelling reasons to step outside with my camera.
I would spend hours walking around the neighborhood. With my camera in one hand and headphones blasting one Glass Animals song after another, I explored every new street I came across, a puffy jacket tied around my waist (SF stereotype alert). With every alley and building as unique as the last, I was continuously strung along to see what the next one would look like.
I don’t blame you for thinking that this all sounds pretentious and over-romanticized, but there's really no other way for me to emphasize my love for that neighborhood.
A few places I feel deserve a specific shoutout:
Washington Square Park: Filled with music, dogs, green grass, and lounging people, it’s the place to be on a sunny day.
Cafe Reveille on Columbus: A decent cup o’ joe and a view of the Frank Coppola building.
Russian Hill: Its own neighborhood, but worth mentioning due to its close proximity. Its hidden gardens and colorful buildings always drew me in.
Little Vine: A quaint wine shop that serves up Italian sandos, local canned goods, and smiley store owners.
Pier 39: Adjacent to North Beach, I always thought of it as the local theme park. I loved walking there in the evening.
Columbus Ave: I tried close to every restaurant on this street and each was tasty in its own way. The intersection with Broadway is a particularly lively area to photograph.
Stains? Can’t imagine why those ever occurred.
I can think of a number of experiences and sights I could continue to share, but I’ll set those aside for now in favor of letting these photos tell you the rest. Click on through these and hopefully, they’ll guide you on a visual journey of North Beach and beyond.
