Tuesday began with a long breakfast at the hotel restaurant.  We ate late, so we called it brunch, and then we set out to begin our foot tour of San Francisco.  Bev found some interesting toys on sale at a toy store.  I got a new belt.  We strolled aimlessly toward the Embarcadero.  At the end of the day we figured we went over two miles.

We thought we might go to North Beach for an Italian dinner at one of its famous restaurants.  Our course led us past City Lights Bookstore.  City Lights was founded in 1953 and is an independent bookstore.  It’s claim to fame is its role as a literary center for the Beat Generation—formally called beatniks.

City Lights was made famous by writers such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac.  Singer Bob Dylan also visited the bookstore.

I was happy to make a pass through the landmark store, but Bev bought two books.  City Lights boasts that it has a legacy of “anti-authoritarian politics and insurgent thinking.”  After our brief tour, I’d have to say that is certainly the impression we got.