Columbus Avenue's cafe fronts and neon signs, and the corner Bullitt's car chase ran past at Bimbo's 365 Club.
What North Beach looks like
Columbus Avenue cuts on a diagonal through a tight grid of two and three storey buildings, storefronts at street level and iron fire escapes climbing the fronts above them. Awnings shade a run of sidewalk cafe tables, and neon signs already glow above some doorways before dusk.
opens at the center of the avenue where it meets Filbert Street, a wide lawn ringed by cypress and pine trees and low apartment buildings with bay windows. faces the lawn directly, its twin white spires and stone rose window dating from 1924.
Farther south, near Broadway, keeps its stained glass windows and a curved balcony under an arched cornice. City Lights Bookstore stays lit next door, long after the cafes close, across a narrow alley whose walls are covered in painted murals floor to ceiling.
At the avenue's northern end, sits on the corner at Chestnut Street, its own marquee lit above the door. A few blocks back toward the square, sells only focaccia from a plain Stockton Street storefront with a hand lettered price board.
Shot in North Beach
These streets have stood in for themselves rather than for a built substitute. A car chase past a nightclub marquee, a cafe exterior and a church square have each been filmed on their own real corners.
Nine Months, 1995
Saints Peter and Paul Church
Nine Months filmed at Saints Peter and Paul Church rather than building a set for it. The production shot on real San Francisco streets throughout the film, and the church square was one of them. Street View
So I Married an Axe Murderer, 1993
Vesuvio Cafe
So I Married an Axe Murderer shot its cafe exterior at Vesuvio Cafe, on the alley beside City Lights Bookstore. The production also used North Beach Pizza on Grant Avenue and La Rocca's Corner on Columbus Avenue for other scenes. Street View
Bullitt, 1968
Bimbo's 365 Club
Bullitt's car chase runs along Columbus Avenue and makes a sudden turn up Chestnut Street in front of Bimbo's 365 Club. The marquee in the film is the same vertical sign that lights the corner today. Street View
Narrow streets full of Italian cafes and bakeries make the North End a strong match for the storefronts along Columbus Avenue. Hanover Street has the same low rise mix of restaurants under apartments. Boston's brick fronts and narrower sidewalks read differently in a wide shot, so tighter frames along the storefronts work best. Try searching Italian cafes and bakeries now.
Little Italy in New York City, New York
Mulberry Street's tenement blocks show a similar run of ground floor Italian restaurants under walk up apartments. The scale and awning line match Columbus Avenue closely. New York's cast iron fire escapes and taller cornices are more pronounced, so a low angle keeps them out of frame. Try searching tenement blocks and awnings now.
College Street's contemporary Italian cafes give a newer version of the same idea, storefronts and patios rather than older brick fronts. It suits a present day scene that wants a newer, brighter run of Italian storefronts. Wider modern shopfronts and newer signage make this a looser match, so keep dressing minimal and frame tightly on one storefront. Try searching Italian cafes and patios now.
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