Lombard Street, San Francisco

I see many tourists pull up in taxis or rental cars, hop out, snap a few photos of the crooked street, and leave. There are actually steeper, more crooked streets in San Francisco, but what makes Lombard Street amazing is the neighborhood. It is a historical gem with hidden staircases, cafes, and beautiful views. The hills in this particular part of town are killer, so wear decent walking shoes, and explore a little bit.

Unique Suggestions: My favorite view of Alcatraz is from the corner of Hyde and Chestnut Streets, just one block over from the top of Lombard Street. If you head down Chestnut Street one block, you will stumble upon the San Francisco Art Institute. All the way in the back is a cafe that serves really affordable meals and freshly baked pastries, and a view that overlooks the whole city. Even though I live here, I love walking down Lombard Street and stopping by SFAI. It offers amazing views, and even has a peaceful roof to sunbathe on. It is not open on weekends though, so plan accordingly.

If you ride the Powell-Hyde cable car north, one of the stops is at Lombard St. Unfortunately, once you get off at the top of the street, there is really nowhere to stand where you can get a good view of just how crooked the street is. And it's kind of scary to try to walk down the street because cars are actually lined up to drive it and you have to stay out of their way.

Unique Suggestions: Maybe it's more fun if you are in a car; at least then you can say you drove down the crookedest street ever.

Fun Alternatives: I think it's better seen from a distance. If you take a ride up in Coit Tower you can see the whole of Lombard St. in all its crooked glory, as well as great views of the rest of San Francisco.

After walking (and giving out my breath) on the slopes of Russian Hill and Nob Hill we came to Lombard Street. Ok, it is true, it is very crooked and made to look nice with flowers on both sides but..how could i ever get a nice and decent pic with packs of tourists or cars coming down all the time?!
mmhhh, maybe i will be lucky some other time...

Fun Alternatives: Close to Lombard Street there is the Art Institute. You can freely go inside, watch some student exposition (bad or good it is always interesting) and go up on the terrace. Get a wonderful view of the ocean and of the white city! Do not miss it!

Lombard Street....
Known as the most crooked street in the world.

Well you have three options when it comes to visiting this place. You can drive up the road and then drive your car down this winding street. Good luck if you have a manual car. You can try walking up the street (which I did) and all the effort walking up was not worth the view down. The last option is to take the Trolley up. I guess that will work. The only thing to see here is a bunch of tourist excited about a street that would be better off left a pedestrian path.

You just have to drive down it.
It's one of the things to tick off your list.

Fun Alternatives: If your not driving then walk and look at the houses.

Don't try to drive Lombard Street upwards !!! hihi
This street is supposed to be the most crookedest street in the world and it is just a shame that it is one-way-traffic (-;