Photographing San Francisco: Digital Field Guide

Chapter 17. North Beach

A view of one of many North Beach restaurants on a clear fall day. Taken at ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/160 second with a 50mm lens.

Why It's Worth a Photograph

There is no longer a beach in North Beach. The name was established in the 1850s when an inlet of the bay extended far inland between Telegraph Hill and Russian Hill, and the neighborhood was a stretch of shoreline. What was once known as Little Italy has become a melting pot of Italian, Chinese, Hispanic, Japanese, Indian, and other pocket communities. If you love to eat, drink, and hang out in a friendly urban neighborhood complete with phenomenal restaurants, dive bars, cafes, trendy nightclubs, and off-the-wall, one-of-a-kind shops, then North Beach is a place you must visit.

Where Can I Get the Best Shot?

North Beach has it all: romantic cable cars, Lombard Street, Coit Tower, historical buildings, the steep slopes of Russian Hill and Telegraph Hill, and fantastic bay and downtown views. It's all in a small, self-sustained area on or off Columbus Street between Filbert Street and Washington Street. Although North Beach extends out many blocks from these streets, the heart and soul of this Little Italy can be found here.

The best locations from which to photograph North Beach: (A) Columbus Street between Filbert ...