The edge of Chinatown and North Beach, where Columbus and Grant avenues meet like two mighty rivers, is one of the most dynamic liminal zones in San Francisco. Few locals spend good time at this dueling precipice, but consider just one block. Sam’s Burgers, Anthony Bourdain’s favorite late-night burger in

North Beach is where magic lives. Neon strip club signs throw color at the pavement below while Coit Tower sits illuminated on Telegraph Hill, like God’s own fire hose nozzle. Smells of garlic and sauce drift from restaurants whose large windows teem with people from around the world. Street barkers

There are few things more holy to the soul of creative San Francisco than City Lights Books. It is part of our DNA, hell it’s part of the DNA of every countercultural movement that has existed in the United States. I love this bookstore so dearly that it would shatter