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North Beach
Saadi Halil, Acrylic on canvas, 2015
Walking up from The Financial, or turning a random corner from Chinatown, you'll find yourself in the steep hills of North Beach, San Francisco's Little Italy. The neighborhood is a colorful and lively display of nightlife and cafe culture. Legacy Italian ristorantes, trattorias, oysterias and pizzerias abound, as do historic bars, shops and unique architectural triumphs.
Coit Tower
Bob Donlin, Neal Cassidy, Alan Ginsberg, Robert Lavigne and Lawrence Ferlinghetti infant of City Lights, 1955
Starting from top left of the North Beach painting, going clockwise: Coit Tower, the beautiful art deco tower with sweeping 360 views of the city. It is a classic landmark of the city's skyline and of North Beach in particular. Next is a partial street sign of Columbus st. which is the main drag down North Beach. Along the light posts you will see Italian tricolor flags wrapped around, denominating the cultural district. Next is a classic Italian menu from one of the many Ristorantes. Below is a couple taking advantage of such a thing!
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The famed Molinari & Sons Italian Delicatessen
Saints Peter and Paul Church
In the middle of the painting is Saints Peter and Paul Church, one more iconic building in the heart of North Beach and to the lower left corner is a photo of Italian pastries and a sticker celebrating City Lights Books; the iconic independent bookstore and cultural hub that produced and published the avant garden poets that would become the leaders of the Beat movement: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Alan Ginsberg, Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassidy and more. The postcard in the middle is addressed to Genoa, where much of the first wave of Italian immigrants to San Francisco called home.