North Beach, where the only beach is in the name, was the hangout of anti-conformist intellectuals of the 1950s Beat Generation, who would put the world to rights in the bookshops and smoky bars of Columbus Avenue. The Beat Museum pays tribute to them. Despite the expansion of Chinatown, this district of San Francisco has retained its Latino and bohemian charm, with its intimate restaurants, timeless cafés frequented by artists, and its jazz bars that are buzzing into the early hours.