Beat Generation Walking Tour - San Francisco

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Jack Kerouac, author of "On the Road," was a leading member of the group of writers who are collectively known as the Beat Generation. Many of Kerouac's books were set in San Francisco, a city where Kerouac had many misadventures and affairs as chronicled by his own writing. Jack Kerouac Alley was dedicated in his honor in April 2007. The alley depicts a giant mural of Kerouac, images depicting his travels, and quotations from both his works as well as other Beat authors who were based in San Francisco.

2. City Lights Book Sellers & Publishers

The world-renowned bookstore was founded in 1953 by Beats poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin. In 1955, City Lights was expanded to include a book press, too. The site was the country's first all-paperbound book store and was well known for stocking anti-authoritarian titles. Since the press was established, City Lights has published over two hundred titles and continues to print several new titles annually. Additionally, the shop offers three stories of book shelves stocked with everything from unique and rare to new and popular titles.

3. Vesuvio Cafe

Vesuvio Cafe was established in 1948 and is located next to City Lights Bookstore. Together with City Lights Bookstore, one of the walls of the cafe forms Jack Kerouac Alley. Kerouac often frequented the cafe along with many of his fellow beat writers, leading to the cafe becoming a historical site as well as a popular tourist destination. Today, the cafe is still incredibly popular, and those who visit are greeted with a plethora of memorabilia from the Beat Generation.

4. Beat Museum

The Beat Museum, located on 540 Broadway, is a small, one-room museum with artifacts from the Beat era. The Beat Museum's collection includes photos, letters, a signed copy of Ginsberg's Howl, and Neal Cassady's striped referee-style shirt. At this site you can learn more about the influential people of this generation, and have a glimpse at life during this exciting time in American history.

5. Former Home of Allen Ginsburg

For a few years in the mid-1950s, Beat poet Allen Ginsberg lived and wrote in an apartment at 1010 Montgomery Street. It was in this apartment that Ginsberg wrote his controversial poem "Howl," which would eventually lead to obscenity charges for the author.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Beat Generation Walking Tour - San Francisco

Created by Clio Admin on February 11th 2019, 7:25:13 pm.

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Description

This short walking tour includes iconic San Francisco literary landmarks such as City Lights Bookstore and Vesuvio Cafe, the watering hole and San Francisco home of Jack Kerouac, Dylan Thomas, Allen Ginsberg, and other writers. The tour also includes Jack Kerouac Alley, home to murals and other artwork depicting Beat Generation writers. The tour concludes at the Beat Museum which was established in 2006.

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Beat Generation Walking Tour - San Francisco

Description

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