North Beach

North Beach has become my new favorite neighborhood in San Francisco. There's this two block section that has everything I need for a night out on the town. An evening starts out at Francis Coppola's Zoetrope Cafe with his spaghetti and meatballs and house red. Then things move across the street to Tosca Cafe for Vespers and a jukebox that only plays opera. Then a stumble across the street again to City Lights Bookstore for an intoxicated reading in the upstairs poetry room, and by reading I mean me reading my favorite parts of books aloud to my friends. Then halfway down the block to the new steampunk bar Comstock, where fellows with curly mustaches and ladies in corsets serve Absinthe cocktails. Then, finally, to the corner doughnut shop for a nightcap- a freshly cooked glazed confection and a small carton of milk. And the best part of North Beach is they paint signs all over to point you on your merry way (pictured above). This is particularly helpful after imbibing the Green Fairy.