In the North Beach area of San Francisco, Vesuvio Cafe remains one of the last vestiges of the Beat Generation era. This popular beatnik haunt, once shrouded in marijuana smoke and frequented by the most surprising of regulars, was founded in 1948 by Frenchman, Henri Lenoir. They even sold the tongue-in-cheek "beatnik kit": leather sandals, jumper and black glasses... Fittingly funky atmosphere.