Begin near Washington Square Park with a lovely view of Coit Tower, a monument to one of SF’s most celebrated eccentrics, Lillie Hitchcock Coit. From there, explore the story of the neighborhood’s Italian immigrants who flooded the area at the turn of the century and still lend the area much of its character. It was the friendly cafes and bars opened by the Italians that hosted the Beat Generation and the artists they inspired so your next stops are their old haunts like Caffe Trieste and Vesuvio, where everyone from Allen Ginsberg to Bob Dylan have enjoyed a drink. Pause in Kerouac Alley and press your noses to the glass of City Lights Bookstore. Finish with a few of the favorite hangout spots of Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, proving that the spirit of art and eccentricity are alive and well in the neighborhood.