My Saturday afternoon in San Francisco turned out to be interesting.
Arriving around lunch time September 20 (Pacific time), I decided to take the train instead of the more expensive taxi from the airport to the Grand Hyatt hotel. Several minutes later, I emerged in the Powell St. Station, which is three to four blocks from the Union Square. Placards saying," No to Scientology" greeted me, as I exited toward Powell St.
I searched for a tourist information center and found one near the station, and grabbed myself a map. But I also asked for directions. I was told to go straight toward Union Square, then look for Stockton St. corner Sutter St., which is the location of Grand Hyatt hotel. On my way to the hotel, I found this amusing guys who was holding up a placard saying, " Need cash for Alcohol Research." I'm certain he's no researcher. Anyway, this story is not the highlight of my Saturday afternoon.
My Filipino friends --Jamz and Yna -- and I decided to find Lombard Street, the world's most crooked road. Instead of taking the car, we decided to walk to the place. My techie friend Jamz took out his mobile phone and used Google Maps to find Lombard. The map said we have to walk northward from Union Square (or near that area, which was my landmark). We passed by China Town, and got lost for a while. (Google Map is not that reliable at this point, but we pressed on). We checked our electronic map and decided to walk toward the bay.
As we walked, I noticed the Victorian-inspired buildings, the famous California Cable Car line (you pay $5 for one way), and streets lined with parked cars (some unused for a while) and wondered if this was the effect of the oil price increases. San Francisco homes are mostly low-rise apartments rising only up to two to three floors, which is a limit imposed by the city. San Francisco is a financial district -- similar to Makati City.
But as we searched for Lombard St., I saw certain areas typical of a suburban neighborhood. A patch of green trees, people walking their dog, people jogging, kids eating ice cream, and a family strolling with one little cute kid saying, "Hi people." It was a heart-warming scene until you hit Lombard St. You know you're there when you'll notice a growing number of tourists --armed with digital cameras and video cameras -- causing a traffic snarl.
After almost an hour, we finally found Lombard Street. For those unfamiliar with it, Lombard Street is the world's most crooked road. This photo shows the big "5" sign, which tells motorists that they can only go as fast at 5 miles per hour through this one-way street. Lombard is found on the Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets. It has a total of eight sharp turns, earning the reputation of being the world's most crooked street. According to its history, the road was designed this way to reduce accidents because this street is also very steep to climb for both vehicles and pedestrians. The street is about 400 meters long and is paved with red bricks. So they never thought that this would become a tourist spot.
So next time you're in SanFo, don't miss this turn, or should I say eight turns.
My Saturday afternoon in San Francisco turned out to be interesting.
Arriving around lunch time September 20 (Pacific time), I decided to take the train instead of the more expensive taxi from the airport to the Grand Hyatt hotel. Several minutes later, I emerged in the Powell St. Station, which is three to four blocks from the Union Square. Placards saying," No to Scientology" greeted me, as I exited toward Powell St.
I searched for a tourist information center and found one near the station, and grabbed myself a map. But I also asked for directions. I was told to go straight toward Union Square, then look for Stockton St. corner Sutter St., which is the location of Grand Hyatt hotel. On my way to the hotel, I found this amusing guys who was holding up a placard saying, " Need cash for Alcohol Research." I'm certain he's no researcher. Anyway, this story is not the highlight of my Saturday afternoon.
My Filipino friends --Jamz and Yna -- and I decided to find Lombard Street, the world's most crooked road. Instead of taking the car, we decided to walk to the place. My techie friend Jamz took out his mobile phone and used Google Maps to find Lombard. The map said we have to walk northward from Union Square (or near that area, which was my landmark). We passed by China Town, and got lost for a while. (Google Map is not that reliable at this point, but we pressed on). We checked our electronic map and decided to walk toward the bay.
As we walked, I noticed the Victorian-inspired buildings, the famous California Cable Car line (you pay $5 for one way), and streets lined with parked cars (some unused for a while) and wondered if this was the effect of the oil price increases. San Francisco homes are mostly low-rise apartments rising only up to two to three floors, which is a limit imposed by the city. San Francisco is a financial district -- similar to Makati City.
But as we searched for Lombard St., I saw certain areas typical of a suburban neighborhood. A patch of green trees, people walking their dog, people jogging, kids eating ice cream, and a family strolling with one little cute kid saying, "Hi people." It was a heart-warming scene until you hit Lombard St. You know you're there when you'll notice a growing number of tourists --armed with digital cameras and video cameras -- causing a traffic snarl.
After almost an hour, we finally found Lombard Street. For those unfamiliar with it, Lombard Street is the world's most crooked road. This photo shows the big "5" sign, which tells motorists that they can only go as fast at 5 miles per hour through this one-way street. Lombard is found on the Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets. It has a total of eight sharp turns, earning the reputation of being the world's most crooked street. According to its history, the road was designed this way to reduce accidents because this street is also very steep to climb for both vehicles and pedestrians. The street is about 400 meters long and is paved with red bricks. So they never thought that this would become a tourist spot.
So next time you're in SanFo, don't miss this turn, or should I say eight turns.
Not bad, Erwin, an interesting read with nice photos.
have you seen the lesser known Vermont Street, also in Sanfo which has seven sharp turns and is steeper than Lombard? not as scenic though as Lombard...
Visited San Fo last summer and yes, the most crooked street is a must see. I love San Fo, except for the weather, a little cold (even in summer) for my taste.
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The way you have described this is very thorough. I will link your blog page to mine.