BURRITT ALLEY

Burritt Alley - San Francisco has been the setting for numerous books, TV shows and movies. In many cases she is little more than set dressing. But in Dashiell Hammett’s 1929 novel, The Maltese Falcon, Burritt Alley plays a major role in the novel, a specific street where the novel accelerates. He is the undisputed master of the hard-boiled private detective genre. Protagonist Sam Spade, in his ruthless quest for justice, sees his partner shot dead in the alley in the opening scenes of the book. Near Union Square, close to Stockton and Bush, there’s a plaque that reads: "On approximately this spot MILES ARCHER, PARTNER OF SAM SPADE, was done in by BRIGID O'SHAUGHNESSY." Sure, you’ve seen the Golden Gate Bridge, walked along the Embarcadero and looked down on the city atop Twin Peaks. If you’re a book lover (like me) then take a literary excursion to a lesser known corner of The City. Don your zoot suit with fedora ensemble, to visit Burritt Alley with a copy of Hammett’s noir novel. Read a couple of pages, then stop by Burritt Room Tavern.