San Francisco’s unofficial “Little Italy,” North Beach is a lively neighborhood of sidewalk cafes, Italian restaurants, bars and boutiques that’s walking distance from either Union Square or Fisherman’s Wharf. Centered on Columbus Avenue, this is a great part of the city to walk around, whether you stay on the flat streetsor venture up into the hills. City Lights Book Store, which was founded in 1953 and has a longstanding connection with the beat poets, is based in North Beach. And Coit Tower, one of San Francisco’s best known landmarks, is a short — but steep — walk up Telegraph Hill.