San Francisco - Washington Square

Washington Square is the center of the Italian quarter. More than 50,000 Italians live here, and a glance at the shops and restaurants is enough to persuade any visitor that the Italian way of life is still practiced in this area. In the sixties and seventies it was where the Hippies ("Flower Children") met; this psychedelic movement started here and in other squares in this quarter of the city. The Church of St Peter and St Paul stands in the square.

Entertainment quarter

The southeast part of this area, especially around Broadway and Columbus Avenue which crosses it, is San Francisco's main entertainment area, with countless night-clubs, jazz-clubs, bars, cabarets, theaters, restaurants and cafés.