Lombard Street, San Francisco

San Francisco and America's crookedest street. This steep & hilly street was created with sharp curves to switchback down the one-way hill past beautiful Victorian mansions.

I think you're allowed to travel about 5mph down this street.

The best spot to take pictures of the street is from Leavenworth Street (at the bottom) looking up, with cars driving down slowly.

This is one of the best-known streets of SF, next to California St of course!!

The incline here is 27 and it was made in such a funny shape as it was too steep for cars to climb up and too dangerous to go down!

The street is beautifully landscaped with gardens on the sides and delightful houses are wedged at both sides of the street. It is a really nice sight.

Cars can go downhill only. Pedestrians can use the steps.

Lombard Street is just an ordinary street for most of it's length, but one special block, just Below Hyde Street, if a superlative. It has the reputation of being the world's crookedest street, and for this reason it has become a tourist attraction. The street is paved with red bricks and beautifully landscaped, but you will find no shops or concessions there. The crookedest block, with ten turns, is a residential area of the Russian Hill neighborhood. Hundreds of people a day find their way here to take a ride or stroll on the "Crookedest Street"

Since we were staying near Fisherman's Warf, we found the best way for us to "Do" Lombard Street was to take the Hyde Street cable car and ask the conductor to let us off at the top of Lombard. The walk down the street isn't really crooked at all, since a straight sidewalk/staircase parallels the street. Reportedly the "crooks" were put there many years ago to break the force of the steep hill for horses pulling carriages up it. You can walk up Lombard Street if you have the energy, but vehicular traffic is one-way coming down. From the bottom of Lombard it is a short walk of a few blocks back to Fisherman's Warf.

This is one of those things you've just gotta do because it is there.

Actually, I have read that San Francisco has steeper & more crooked streets than this beautiful cobblestone, but this is the famous one that everyone loves. When you are in your car & approach the top of Lombard Street, you can't see any pavement out ahead of you. It seems that your car with you & your family or friends in it will simply drop off a cliff because no street is in view. It definitely will give your stomach a few butterflies even though in your mind, you know the street HAS to be there. Lombard Street IS there but has begun it's steep descent. It has hairpin curves one after another. It's lined with beautiful flowers & lovely Victorian homes on either side. The fun of going down Lombard Street will definitely give you a few moments of fear and fun.

Jump off the cable car at Lombard Street to walk down the worlds windiest street, it was just an average road but the incline was too steep for cars so the curves were added! It has 10 bends and is certainly not your average street!

Lombard Street with its famous hairpin curves is located in the fancy living district called Russian Hill. The road is too narrow for trailers and mobile homes, and therefore those vehicles are not allowed to use it. Especially during spring and summer the road looks beautiful with all the flower decorations.

Not all of Lombard Street is as curvy as the famous part of this road. Actually it is only curvy for one block going down from Hyde Street. The descent of the hill at that location is about 27 percent, which was too much for a simple and straight road. That is why in 1922 archictects came up with the idea of building the road with eight hairpin curves. Today the road is one of the top tourist attractions of San Francisco and a visit of this city is almost incomplete without having done a car ride on this curvy road.

I suggest to try to get the tram for this one (lIne Powell- Hyde) it stops you on the top of the street. If the tram is too busy and you decide to go walking, please go to the parallel one called Leavenworth as it is less hill as the other one and the views are much better from down that from the top.

We are talking about 8 turnings in the same block as it was in the 20´s a steep street for a straigh road....

Walk through it and do the photo from downside, you will have to fight for an space hehehehe

nothing much to say but if you want to see the crooked street ever..see this one..people come here just to check on how cars drive along this street and take some pictures..i had too but didnt scan it for use here..maybe next time.
wait... is this the name of the street I am talking about?now im not sure..oh crap me..i forgot the name of the street..not a good tour guide..tsk tsk tsk.

Driving into SF we intended to drop our bags at the hotel and turn in the rental car. We drove in, though, along Lombard and I saw a wiggly part on the map. That must be the crooked street! So we first parked (wheels to the curb) and got out to take a look down the Crookedest Street in America. To complete our initial SF experience, a cable car stopped at the top of the hill. Then it was back into the convertible to tackle the street ourselves. I took pictures while hubby drove. He said it wasn't that big a deal. Oh well. Nice pictures, though, and a nice way to end our week of driving.