Caffe Trieste & City Lights...two of my favorite delights.

(One of the books I found, is it not the cutest thing ever??!) 

Whenever I visit San Francisco I always make it MUST to visit Caffe Trieste & City Lights bookstore. Both located in North Beach one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. North Beach is one of the sweetest neighborhoods filled with so many Italian & Irish families. Lovely little Cafe's and Ma & Pa bakeries and markets. Everyone that I have ever met or encountered while walking around are always so lovely in North Beach, I guess that's why I enjoy it so much.
Caffee Trieste is one of the oldest and most famous cafe's in the city, its been featured in many movies, but what I love about this cafe is how the moment you step inside the smell of roasted espresso beans fills your nose and the warmth of its cozy atmosphere embraces you. You can always point out the locals in this place..usually sitting in the corners buried in books drinking espresso...each with a story of their own. Which of course I'm always so curious of...Whenever I visit I always make it a point to blend in with them...wondering if their as curious about me as I am to them. My dad would stop in every week as a little boy always ordering the same drink an Iced Fantasia it's scrumptious, I can't even tell you how amazing it is with words! If you are ever in San Fran you have to try it. It's not on the menu its a special drink that only a select few really know about. (coffee free) Caffe Trieste is so special to me, whenever I visit my childhood flashes before my eyes and all I can do is smile and think how much I miss being so young. My parents have known the owner for years, he's the sweetest little old man in the world. Visiting now as an adult I have grown a love for their espresso its incredible each drink they create is done with such perfection and skill it's fascinating to watch. Before my sister flew home we made sure to stop in for a Cafe Latte and we also visited our favorite bakery up the street and purchased two of the most divine Eclairs (our favorite)...I didn't have time to snap a shot of them before scarfing them down,  they were too tempting to wait. :)
City Lights is another MUST stop when visiting North Beach. It's  one of my favorite bookstores in the city, you can get lost in for hours...trust me I have! I love the smell of the binding and pages when opening each novel that strikes my eye. I blame it on my dad for my love and curiosity of books. He could spend hours reading and looking through books, filling his brain with all types of knowledge. The quietness of City Lights is soothing to the soul, when walking through the isles and up and down the stairs all you can see are people being mesmerized by stories and enchanting information. It's beautiful to watch the effects that certain books have on those that are reading them...