Sunday, November 8, 2026, 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM ยท Specs' Twelve Adler Museum Cafe, North Beach, San Francisco
UCSC professor Kyle Parry reads from and discusses his new book Ways of Seeing After Dark, with excerpts from John Berger's Ways of Seeing. The free event includes a darkness-themed raffle.
Hidden down an alley off Columbus Avenue since 1968, Specs' is one of North Beach's last truly eccentric bars. The walls double as a museum of maritime artifacts and neighborhood ephemera, the drink list is chalked onto the mirror behind the bar, and the Irish coffee still costs less than feels possible. Order a Vesper, find a stool, and plan to stay longer than you meant to.
The bar's no-nonsense party order, generously poured and inexpensive
Gin, vodka, and Lillet. Chalked on the mirror nightly at this historic dive
North Beach classic: Irish whiskey, dark roast coffee, and whipped cream