Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mystery writers, poets, authors
of nonfiction, social commen-
tators, and many others with a gift of the pen have long made
their home in San Francisco. This tour takes you on a historical jour-
ney through the city's literary past.
@
2 to 3 hours.
START:
Union
Square area, F Streetcar, BART/Muni: Powell St.
1
John's Grill.
Start your tour at
Dashiell Hammet's favored hangout.
Although his fictional character Sam
Spade ordered chops and a baked
potato, don't come for the food, but
do come for its great 1940s vibe and
to enjoy a drink at the bar. Be sure
to check out the
Maltese Falcon
room upstairs. Then jump on the
Powell-Hyde cable car around the
corner.
63 Ellis St. (between Stockton
& Powell sts.).
y
415/986 0069.
F Streetcar, BART/Muni: Powell St.
Neal Cassady (circa 1950). Neal was Ker-
ouac's inspiration for Dean Moriaty, one
of the main characters in
On the Road.
novelists, and poets that included
nature writer John Muir and Ster-
ling's good friend Jack London. Ster-
ling's seminal poem
A Wine of
Wizardry
appeared in the 1907
issue of
Cosmopolitan,
with a for-
ward by Ambrose Bierce, who com-
pared Sterling to Milton and Keats.
Sadly, Sterling committed suicide in
1926 at the age of 57. Two years
later, the city dedicated this hilltop
green space in his name. Enjoy
lovely views of the Golden Gate
Bridge from the northwest corner of
the park.
@
15 min. Larkin St.
(between Greenwich & Lombard sts.).
4
Macondray Lane.
Many peo-
ple believe this steep alley, accessible
only to pedestrians, was the model
for “Barbary Lane,” the Russian Hill
residence for the characters in
Armistead Maupin's
Tales of the
City,
which in 1994 was made
into a widely acclaimed public
television miniseries
.
@
15 min. Off Jones St.
(between Union & Green sts.).
2
29 Russel St.
Jack Kerouac
lived in the attic of this unassuming
cottage with Neal Cassady and Cas-
sady's wife for 6 months in 1952.
Kerouac revised
On the Road
here, a
stream-of-consciousness novel
based on his travels across the
country with Cassady, and wrote
parts of
Visions of Cody.
The house
is now a private residence.
@
10 min. 29 Russel St. (off Hyde
St., between Green & Union sts.).
Exit the cable car at Green St.
3
★
Sterling Glade.
In 1872
poet George Sterling founded San
Francisco's Bohemian Club, an
influential group of
newspaper-
men,
Re-live the 1940s at John's Grill.
