Centered on and around Columbus Avenue from Bay Street to Montgomery , North Beach is one of San Francisco 's oldest and most vibrant neighborhoods. Affectionately known as Little Italy, it became the center for the city's Italian community by the turn of the century and still boasts some of the best espresso-sipping and people-watching cafes this side of Milan . It's also home to what remains of the city's Beat Generation. From Ginsberg to Kerouac, the heart of the beatniks still beats at City Lights Bookstore, and next door at Vesuvio Bar, on Jack Kerouac Alley, you can still talk On the Road without feeling dated. No day in North Beach would be complete without a morning spent drinking espresso and listening to Pavarotti at a neighborhood caffé. Along Columbus Avenue and bounded by Filbert, Union, Powell and Stockton streets is Washington Square Park , the cultural center of North Beach . Early in the morning, the lawn is filled with Chinese residents performing tai chi; at noon businesspeople stretch out in the sun and eat lunch. For nightlife, it's tough to beat dinner, drinks and coffee in this neighborhood, which offers a combination of family owned restaurants, rollicking nightclubs and intimate lounges, all within walking distance of each other. Map 2, C3