Perfect Day in North Beach

1. Start the day with a mid-morning coffee at Caffe Trieste, the quintessential North Beach cafe. Take the time to study the photos and articles that cover the walls, and tell the story of the cafe as well as the neighborhood over more than five decades.

2. Right on Columbus, around the corner from Trieste, you'll find the arts importer, Biordi Art Imports, named "San Francisco's Best Overall Store" for the third year in a row. A Legacy Business focused on Italian culture, you'll lose yourself in the beauty and vision of the collected artists. North Beach is the city's home of Italian culture and Biordi surrounds you in what makes that special.

3. Head up Vallejo to the top of the Vallejo Steps for breathtaking views of the Bay. There are many such views in the neighborhood if you don't mind the climb. If you do, the 39 bus or the Cable Cars will also do the work to get you to some of these views.

4. Head on over to Coit Tower for another set of spectacular views and to explore Lily Hitchcock Coit's quixotic gift to the city.

5. Head down Filbert to Grant Street and browse Macchiarini Creative Design. Dan Macchiarini is a second generation jeweler in this iconic North Beach store. Ask him to tell you the story of Bummer and Lazarus. Prepare to stay a while...

6. Rest your feet a moment in Washington Square Park and take in the sights and sounds of the neighborhood. From the Tai Chi practitioners to the open circus workshops, to the weekend revelers and wedding parties pouring out of St. Peter and Paul's Church, the park is an open space collision of cultures and generations and people from all walks of life. Time it right and you may catch the Parrots of Telegraph Hill, San Francisco's official animal, flying noisily by.

7. If you're ready for lunch, there's Mama's on Washington Square, or pizza at Tony's or Flour + Water, or sandwiches at Le Sandwich on Columbus. Save room for dessert though, and go see Jean-Marc Gorce at XOX Truffles, for the finest chocolate truffles in the city.

8. We highly recommend you cross the street and pick up some coffee for home from one of the standout coffee roasters in the country, Graffeo Coffee. They don't brew in the store, but just breathing the aromas is like a double shot of afternoon espresso. And they are masters of the art of coffee roasting and waiting until you get home to brew it yourself will be well worth it.

9. Keep going along Columbus toward Chinatown and you'll wind up at one of San Francisco's most venerated institutions, the indispensable City Lights Publishing and Booksellers. Take your time here. The history of the place is the history of literary San Francisco. The staff is knowledgeable and eager to talk about what's on the shelves.

10. Dinner time! So many choices here, and many of them are iconic, Italian focused eateries. But there are also some newcomers to the neighborhood that are ready to dazzle. Cassava is a standout Asian/French fusion spot with an impeccably matched wine list.

11. Now the perfect way to crown the perfect day: a trip to Club Fugazi for the runaway hit, Dear San Francisco. A 90-minute acrobatic love letter to the city, the show has reanimated the former home of the beloved Beach Blanket Babylon with a whole new vibe-- part nightclub, part sporting event, part theatrical event-- that has audiences cheering. You've spent the day seeing the city. Now grab a seat and feel what it is to love San Francisco.

12. Wind down your evening with some live jazz in a beautifully restored Keys Jazz Bistro on Broadway. Or drop into any of the many watering holes in the neighborhood. Just follow the crowds. They'll lead you to the perfect place to end the perfect day in one of the city's perfect neighborhoods.