FOOT! fun walking tours is proud to present Full Exposure: an exposé on the complete history of North Beach, a fun history walking tour that explores one of the City's favorite neighborhoods.
Learn about the ever-changing history of North Beach, from the Gold Rush debauchery of the Barbary Coast era to the anti-establishment artists of the 1950s to the present. North Beach is always changing, and this has encouraged many locals to reinvent themselves over the years, too. This two-hour walking history lesson winds its way through one of the popular tourist destinations in town, where locals are proud to hang out as well.
Originally called the Latin Quarter, North Beach (which, indeed, had a beach some 150 years ago) was a mix of all nationalities until until the laying of an "off-the-grid" avenue (later rechristened Columbus Avenue) sent many citizens scattering to other neighborhoods. But not the Italians--they stayed and turned North Beach into Little Italy.
Find out how the neighborhood continues to rediscover and recreate itself, and learn what happened to that original beach (as well as a lot of other fun and factual FOOT! facts).
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This tour covers a wide range of the history and geography of North Beach, starting at one end of the neighborhood, traversing it, and ending near dead-center, which is actually quite lively. In the terms of topics, it's our widest exploration of North Beach, too. (For a tour that focusses on the nightlife, try NUDE, LEWD & CRUDE; for a general history with great views from Telegraph Hill, try WHERE'S THE F-ING BEACH IN NORTH BEACH.)
tour distance: about 17 blocks tour duration: about two hours
hills: no true hills, but there is a slight rise over the course of many blocks ending location: City Lights Bookstore, near Broadway and Columbus.
NB: this tour is about 17 blocks long, although some of the blocks are quite short
Washington Square Park
Jackson Square, a survivor of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire
World-famous bars and coffee shops
Plus jokes, quizzes, fun, games and insider tid-bits from a friendly FOOT! guide
