St. Patrick’s Day Drunken Festivities

St. Patrick’s Day weekend was a weekend full of colorful festivities with a side of alcoholic beverages for many San Franciscans.

I was in North Beach on Saturday, the first big day to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day holiday and also the day of the famous St. Patrick’s Day parade. Many are surprised to know that North Beach, although known as “Little Italy,” has many Irish pubs and restaurants that bar hoppers took full advantage of this past weekend.

O’Reilly’s, a crowded Irish pub on Green Street, hosted many St. Patrick’s Day celebrators.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

As the day went on, North Beach seemed to be the neighborhood for those who were at the parade to continue their celebrations. Around 5 p.m., the streets were lined with young partiers and Muni buses were packed. The aroma of beer and food filled the air and the crowds were loud and rowdy.

Washington Square Park was a main hotspot for people to gather.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

The sun was shining on the city and Washington Square Park was buzzing with people dressed in green for the holiday. There were groups of people throwing around a frisbee, others were taking a break and grabbing a nap to get their second wind for the night.

It was an uncommonly warm day in North Beach for people to celebrate St. Patricks Day in the park.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

Street performers sometimes line the streets of North Beach. There are so many various performers from cello performances to tap-dancing men in fedoras and army pants.

Even street performers got into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit, like this tap-dancing street performer on Columbus Street.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

As the sun went down, North Beach crowds got larger and police cars began to slowly come into the neighborhood to keep the peace. Day one of St. Patrick’s Day weekend slowly comes to an end. But, have no fear, because day two includes the Pub Crawl.

Day Two of St. Patrick’s Day weekend includes the Pub Crawl.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

The Shrine of North Beach

When you look down at the view of North Beach from the famous Coit Tower, you immediately see the steeples of Saints Peter and Paul Church. However, tucked away on the corner of Vallejo Street, lies the shrine of North Beach: St. Francis of Assisi Church.

This famous church established in June of 1849 is open to the public, but no longer has an active parish. However, people can still go in to say a prayer, light a candle, and sit in the pews in silence.

The church was established when gold was discovered in California. A lot of Catholics came to San Francisco, but the only church for them was three and a half miles away from where they were inhabiting. They wanted a place of their own.

The view from the entrance of the church. Many people, tourists and locals, come to sit in the pews and pay their respects.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

Entering through the tall wooden doors, you don’t expect the inside to look like it does. It is a gorgeous place to admire detailed  architecture.

The windows are sheets of stained glass, with immense amount of detail in each window.

Walking into the church, the silence was eerie. There were many people sitting in the pews, some alone, yet there was no discussion. I was drawn in by the incredible detail and beauty of the church.

Along the aisles, there are images of specific saints: St. Francis of Assisi, Jesus Christ, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, being a few. Next to the statues of saints, there are hassocks, a kneeling pad for people to pray at and a table of candles, some lit and some not, where visitors can donate to the church and light a candle.

A statue of St. Joseph. One of the many tables around the church with candles that visitors can light with a donation.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

The St. Francis of Assisi church was one of the many buildings that was harmed during the April 1906 great San Francisco earthquake. The inside of the church was burned badly but the building remained intact. It was eventually rebuilt, using the original walls.

Although there is no active parish still, the church still has a daily mass Monday- Saturday at 12:15 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m.

Caffé Trieste – North Beach

Up the hill off the main drag of North Beach is a small café that one would not usually stumble into. I heard about Caffé Trieste from Sahar, a sweet lady who worked at Buster’s Cheese Steak on Columbus Avenue. Having only lived in the United States for 8 months coming from Holland, she described Caffé Trieste as the best coffee shop in San Francisco.

Caffé Trieste, a coffee shop known to be a common hangout during the Beat movement.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

Being a coffee addict/lover, I took her word for it. Sitting on the corner of Vallejo Street, Caffé Trieste has been there for over fifty years, opening up four other locations in the Bay Area.

Walking in there, the line was long and there was only one barista working. Amazed at his barista’s skills, I watched as he helped each individual customer one at a time, making their coffee and handling their money at a very quick pace. It was obvious that many of the customers were regulars and they shared minimal conversation and he made them their normal order.

I ordered a dirty chai latté. As I walked to find a table, I was verbally abused by an older man who seemed to be having a bad day. The barista assured me that he is always in here and has some mental disabilities that they had not quite figured out yet, but to not take it personally. Interesting start.

I sat down at this table to be awkwardly stared at by some of the customers, I guess I looked somewhat out of place. It was an early afternoon, perhaps 3 p.m. or so and many customers were drinking wine and typing away on their laptops, others were socializing, many in other languages.

I was soon joined by an Italian man named Antonio. He was just visiting a friend who lived in San Francisco and decided to give American coffee a try. When I asked where he was from, he said “from the heel of the boot of Italy.” He was sweet and said “It was a pleasure meeting you Jordan,” in an incredibly thick Italian accent. The verdict on the coffee? His friend said American coffee was bland compared to Italian coffee. Good to know.

I also began talking to a group of women who were sitting at the table next to me. I asked if they lived around here. One of them said she just bought a house in Pacific Heights, but was a regular at this coffee shop.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Caffé Trieste. I might go back; however, there are dozens of coffee shops in North Beach. I thank Sahar for leading me to this one though.

Caffé Trieste is located on the corner of Vallejo and Grant.
Photo by Jordan Hunter