North Beach
June 18, 2005
A
coworker from Japan came a few days early for JavaOne, so we had time to explore
North Beach and some surrounding areas of San Francisco. We started on the
east side of Telegraph Hill, climbing the Filbert Steps through flowering gardens.
At Montgomery Street we came across the “no dogs” painting, which according
to a local is far more effective in stopping people from dumping garbage here
than the multilingual conventional sign just above. 
Coit Tower provided views
in all directions, including at the Washington Square area, where the North
Beach Festival was in full swing. After sampling the art vendors at this street
fair and drinking coffee at Caffé Trieste, we took a quick peek into the
Saints Peter and Paul Church. Finally, a longish trek along Columbus Avenue
took us to today’s northern beach, Aquatic Park and Fort Mason.