For movie buffs, North Beach provides perfect terrain to track down hundreds of famous film scenes. Though an eclectic range of films has been shot within the district, most locales are within a few blocks of each other and serve both meals and drinks with a side of cinematic history.

Much of the residential area in North Beach still has the multi-story Victorian and Eastlake-style houses that San Francisco is famous for. This makes the area perfect for establishing shots and exterior home shots. Humphrey Bogart, Michael Douglas, Donald Sutherland and others have all played North Beach residents. While snooping around private residences is likely discouraged, curious movie fans can check out the apartment building on 1158 Montgomery St., where Michael Douglas, as Detective Nick Curran, resided in "Basic Instinct." The light blue building sits right on the corner of Montgomery and Green.

While on Montgomery, it's just a quick stop over towards Vallejo Street. The corner of Montgomery and Vallejo offers an incredible view of the city. It's also the spot of the emotionally pivotal (and somewhat ridiculous) scene in the Ang Lee-directed 2003 film "Hulk", where Jennifer Connelly talks down a CGI Eric Bana from having a battle with the US Army, and transforms him with the power of love. Did we mention the view is nice?

North Beach is widely known for great food, so it's no wonder that so many films have had restaurant and bar, not to mention strip club, scenes in the neighborhood.

Enrico's Café on the corner of Broadway and Kearny Streets is not only a stylish San Francisco landmark, but also the place where Steve McQueen met with an informant in the film "Bullit." Back in the day, Steve McQueen was one of the hottest action stars ever. He's your parent's Vin Diesel, only he was actually cool. "Bullit" is his most famous film, and is noted with popularizing car chases. There have been dozens of films with cars flying down the hilly streets of San Francisco, but McQueen was doing it first. The restaurant was reopened and fixed up a couple years ago after changing owners. It still keeps the look and feel that it had when it opened over 50 years ago. The menu is varied: sandwiches, pizza, steaks, risotto and seasonal fish, among others. The café doesn't need to rely on its film routes to get business. Shannon Greenfield, a San Francisco native, comes to the café on a regular basis for dinner and drinks after work. "I had no idea they filmed anything here," Greenfield said. "That's pretty cool though, it just makes this place cooler."

For those that may need a few drinks before they snoop around other people's houses, or who still want to follow the path of lecherous and troubled detective Nick Curran, there's the Tosca Café. Michael Douglas filmed a scene within the Columbus Street café. You may not remember it, since it was a short scene right after the most famous scene in "Basic Instinct." You know, that one where Sharon Stone is allegedly not wearing underwear. But the bar (not a café despite the name) is a landmark in the city and has been called "the casting couch" because so many films have scenes there. The walls are adorned with photographs of famous celebrities from the last 50 years and many current stars like to drop in. It's reportedly Sean Penn's favorite San Francisco hangout. Often, the patrons dress up in 40s style clothing, giving the whole place a classic vibe.

Unfortunately, not every film location has stood the test of time. While many of the more famous places in "Vertigo" are still there, one of Hitchcock's favorite restaurants, Ernie's, has closed down, which means people can't go scope out beautiful, mysterious women in the red velvet-covered establishment. The building is now home to an upper-scale clothing store, Carrots. Manager Angie McClellan said she feels very lucky to have her store in such a famous building. "We get people in here all the time who used to come here for dinner, or had their first date in the restaurant," McClellan said.

So there you have it. If you're a movie buff looking for some cool history, or just need some neat places to take your parents when they come up for a visit and nag you about being a tour guide, North Beach has a wide selection of old and new, without all the pain of navigating the entire city.