Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
i
Filbert Steps
Map
5 C2.
@
10, 19, 39, 41, 45, 47, 49,
54, 70, 990.
Telegraph Hill falls away sharply
on its eastern side, and the
streets here become steep
steps. Descending from
Telegraph Hill Boulevard,
Filbert Street is a rambling
stairway, made of wood,
brick, and concrete, where
fuchsia, rhododendron,
bougainvillea, fennel, and
blackberries thrive.
rents, and the great views. It
is now, however, a distinctly
fashionable place to live,
and visitors are drawn to it
as a lovely area to take a
leisurely stroll.
o
Greenwich
Steps
Map
5 C2.
@
8X, 30, 39, 45, 91.
Powell-Mason.
Descending roughly
parallel to Filbert Steps, the
steps of Greenwich Street have
splendid views, with luxuriant
foliage from adjoining gardens
overflowing onto them. Going
up one set of steps and down
the other makes a delightful
walk around the eastern side
of Telegraph Hill.
View of Coit Tower at the top of
Telegraph Hill
Steps at the bottom of Filbert Street leading
up to Telegraph Hill
observation platform (reached
by elevator) is spectacular.
In the lobby of the tower are
murals that are even more
absorbing
(see p142).
These
were sponsored in 1934 by a
government-funded program
designed to keep artists
employed during the Great
Depression
(see pp32-3)
.
Twenty-five artists joined
efforts to paint a vivid portrait
of life in modern California.
Scenes range from the teeming
streets of the city's Financial
District (with a robbery in
progress) to factories, dockyards,
and Central Valley wheat fields.
There are many fascinating
details, including a real light
switch cleverly incorporated
into a painting and a poor family
of migrants encamped by a
river, plus newspaper headlines,
magazine covers, and book
titles. The murals are effective
social commentary and yet
also whimsical in spirit. There
are various political themes
depicting labor problems and
social injustice that run through
them. Many of the faces in the
paintings are those of the artists
and their friends, along with
local figures such as Colonel
William Brady, caretaker of Coit
Tower. The work's political
content initially caused some
public controversy.
a
Levi's Plaza
Map
5 C2.
@
10, 12, 39.
v
F.
This square is where the
headquarters of Levi Strauss,
the manufacturers of blue jeans
(see p137)
, can be found. It was
landscaped by Lawrence
Halprin in 1982, with the aim
of recalling the company's
history in California. The plaza
is studded with granite rocks
and cut by flowing water, thus
evoking the Sierra Nevada
canyon scenery in which the
miners who first wore the jeans
worked. Telegraph Hill in the
background adds another
mountainous element.
p
Upper
Montgomery Street
Map
5 C2.
@
39.
Until it was paved in 1931,
the Telegraph Hill end of
Montgomery Street was
mostly inhabited by working-
class families. There was also
a sprinkling of artists and
writers. They were attracted
by the seclusion, the cheap
The headquarters of Levi Strauss & Co. on Levi's Plaza
