Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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After one too many automobile drivers went careening into front gardens after visiting
local speakeasies in the Roaring '20s, local property owners added eight turns punctuated
by flowerpots to transform this block from a lethal shortcut into a scenic route. The result
is what you see today: a red-brick street with lovingly tended flower beds at every turn,
flanked by 250 steps.
Sterling Park
Drivers rushing toward Lombard St's tricky turns miss glorious Golden Gate Bridge vistas
along the zigzagging paths of hilltop Sterling Park ( www.rhn.org/pointofinterestparks.html ; Green-
wich & Hyde Sts; ) . Sunsets framed by windswept Monterey pines are pure poetry, as be-
fits the park's namesake, bohemian poet George Sterling. He embraced nature, free love
and opium, and was frequently broke. But San Francisco's high society indulged his ec-
centricities, and had this park named after him.
Powell-Hyde Cable Car
Never mind all those classic movie car-chase scenes (Vertigo , What's Up Doc) and car
commercials shot in San Francisco: the best way to hit Lombard isn't by car, but by cable
car. The Powell-Hyde line summits Nob Hill before clanging up Russian Hill, passing
multimillion-dollar mansions and secret stairway gardens. Leap off at Lombard for un-
beatable hilltop views.
Top Tips
To avoid traffic jams heading down Lombard, come early morning; for sunlit photo-ops, swing by mid-after-
noon, when the fog clears.
No need to hold up traffic angling for the best shot - the best photos of Lombard are from the bottom of the
street and atop Coit Tower, one hill over.
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