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Established during the days of the Gold Rush, this church does not host an active parish, however it still functions as a national shrine and tribute to St. Francis of Assisi. It also has a gift shop where you can purchase crosses, frescoes, rosaries, holy cards, as well as many other trinkets.
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Features quite an extensive collection of exhibits, books and manuscripts that focus on Jack Kerouac and the literary Beat Generation. Plenty of books and T-Shirts for sale here as well.
This tiny paved pedestrian alley was named after the famous Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac who used to hang out in the alley a lot. It was intended to form a literary (and actual) connection between the communities of Chinatown and North Beach. There are plaques embedded into the street which are engraved with Chinese and Western poems from Kerouac, Confucius and John Steinbeck among others. The alley continues across Columbus to become William Saroyan Alley, named after another famous writer who lived in the city, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and an Academy Award.
Co-founded by Beat poet Lawrence Ferlenghetti, City Lights was one of the centers of the Beat community in the 1950s. It's iconic and has become synonymous with the literati Beat movement. Oh, don't forget to check out the books: they have a huge collection of Beat prose and poetry. Why not buy a copy of On the Road while you're there — you won't find a better place to get it!
Created by Darryl Mar, this mural celebrates the history of Chinatown and what life is like there today.
Dedicated to Matsu, goddess of the Sea, but has only been around since 1986.
See the monument erected in honor of this humanitarian and pioneer settler of Yerba Buena (now North Beach).