Place to see: Vesuvio Cafe, San Francisco, California, United States

About this place:

Across Kerouac Alley from City Lights Bookstore remains a living historical monument to the Beat Generation: Vesuvio Cafe.

Back in the mid-fifties, the real life Dean Moriarty of Kerouac's 'On the Road' stopped at Vesuvio for a drink before heading over to Allen Ginsberg's Six Gallery poetry reading. In 2008, not much has changed. You'll still find many of the same art works on the wall -- and a few of the same characters perched on the bar stools.

There's no need for the walls to talk at Vesuvio -- put down that copy of 'Howl' and strike up an unforgettable conversation with your well-aged bar mate.

Vesuvio Cafe
255 Columbus @ Jack Kerouac Alley
North Beach, San Francisco CA