in north beach, at the corner of columbus and broadway, a flock of books descends on the city like spirits of the words and ideas and blue moods and voices of a generation.
city lights sits nexts to vesuvio, separated by kerouac alley. there is history here. and you can feel it.
inside you will not find hordes of students taking up browsing and reading space with free wifi and lattes. you will find a poetry section beyond imagination that invites exploration of the soul written down.
it's tiny and cramped and old. the wood and paper and tile and glass hold subtle energy of years of seekers of knowlege, inspiration, respite from a world moving too fast and too slow.
i could have stayed here for hours. every single book seemed important and worth a look. there was nothing here that betrayed the spirit of the written word and its true intention. {there is actually a 'muckraking' section.}
if you find yourself in san francisco and you love books and history and ideas and a part of you holds on to a youthful memory of struggle and a desire to make a difference, you must come here.
{also, the beat museum is right around the corner.}
