 | San Francisco Lombard Street Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 151 |  |
 | |  |  | Lombard Street: "Crookedest Street in the World" | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
The block-long "Crookedest Street in the World" makes eight switchbacks down the east face of Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth streets, past million-dollar, beautifully landscaped homes and unsurpassed views of the Bay. The angle of the street is so steep that the road has to snake back and forth to make a descent possible. This short stretch of Lombard Street is one-way, downhill, and fun to drive. Take the curves slowly and in low gear. The brick-lined street zigzags around the residences' bright flower gardens, which explode with color during warmer months.
Residents complain about the traffic jam outside their front doors, and occasionally the city attempts to discourage drivers by posting a traffic cop near the top of the hill, but the determined can find a way around. For this reason, the city is considering closing Lombard to motor traffic.
If no one is standing guard, join the line of cars waiting to drive down the steep hill, or avoid the whole mess and walk down the steps on either side of Lombard. You take in super views of North Beach and Coit Tower whether you walk or drive -- though if you're the one behind the wheel, you'd better keep your eye on the road lest you become yet another of the many folks who ram the garden barriers. Save your film for the bottom where, if you're lucky, you can find a parking space and take a few snapshots of the silly spectacle.
Can't stand the throngs? Potrero Hill's Vermont Street between 20th and 22nd streets is a kind of blue-collar Lombard Street, with a similar series of switchbacks but without Lombard's gorgeous gardens and views. Vermont has only six switchbacks, but they're steeper and sharper, with an interesting view of the back of the city, though the street itself isn't as scenic.
Thrill seekers of a different stripe may want to head two blocks south of Lombard to Filbert Street. The hair-raising descent between Hyde and Leavenworth streets is said to be the city's steepest Leave a Comment Directions: Don’t ask locals where Lombard Street is, they're likely to point you further down toward the Marina District, where the street becomes a main traffic thoroughfare
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