Washington Square

North Beach / Telegraph Hill, San Francisco –

Located in the city’s official Little Italy – and often called “North Beach’s Living Room” – the block-wide Washington Square is a popular oasis for everyone from artists, pet owners, and families to students, neighborhood locals, and groups of Tai Chi practitioners from nearby Chinatown.

Hourly chiming bells from the ornate Saints Peter and Paul Church remind lunching office types of the time, as camera-happy tourists appreciate the unobstructed views of the landmark Coit Tower and Pioneer Park to the east.

Frequently cited by movie lovers for its multiple appearances in Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry, the tree-lined park also attracts history buffs, who are drawn to the 19th-century bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin at its center – which itself sits above a time capsule buried in 1979, slated to be unearthed a hundred years later.

Creative types often stake out a shaded patch of grass to work on their watercolors, though their artistic focus is regularly interrupted by long-haired college kids tossing Frisbees under the reproachful eye of old Italian locals quietly judging them.

Thanks to the park’s proximity to several sidewalk cafés and popular restaurants, diners can walk the grounds after a meal or join the barhoppers making their way to the always bustling nightlife spots along Columbus Street.

A bit of nature in a densely populated area, Washington Square is a small but scenic retreat from city life.