City Lights
When is a store not just a store? When it plays a pivotal role in a major American literary movement. Opened in 1953 by poet Louis Ferlinghetti, City Lights quickly became a favorite hangout of Beat writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Three years later City Lights started publishing its own books and became a symbol of dissent when it was involved in a celebrated court case fighting the censorship of Beat writings. Decades later, the Beats may be a part of history but City Lights is still as vibrant and vivacious as ever. The landmark bookstore carries thousands of carefully selected progressive titles. The top floor offers a peaceful place to peruse Beat novels and poetry. The middle floor contains high quality fiction. The basement is full of non-fiction covering a variety of topics. If you like to read, you basically can't go wrong by picking up any book from the shelves. If you don't like to read, first of all, shame on you, and secondly you should still check out City Lights.
Address:
261 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco CA 94133
United States
(Show Map)
Neighborhood:
North BeachMetro Area:
San FranciscoWebsite:
http://www.citylights.com
E-Commerce:
YesPrice Range:
$$$Phone Number:
1-415-362-8193Hours:
Mon-Sun: 10-12Blog Posts Mentioning City Lights
If You're Going To San Francisco: North Beach: In this our final roundup of the Bay Areas prime shopping outlets we visit North Beach. Most know North Beach for its Italian restaurants and...(17 August 2006)
City Lights Online: We're probably late to the party, but we just noticed last week that legendary San Francisco bookstore City Lights has online shopping. If...(21 February 2006)
