San Francisco Voice

Lombard Street is famous as “The Crookedest Street In The World”, drawing in tourists from all around the world who huff and puff in exaggerated effort as they climb the hill west of Columbus to see the famous sight.  My apartment is located right at the bottom of this hill, so I get a regular view of the curvy street (which is surprisingly pretty) and the opportunity for regular run-ins with the travelers who are headed up to take pictures of the spot.

Who those travelers are seems to vary by day – during the week it is mostly young couples or groups of twenty-somethings from foreign countries who are visiting the area for a few days at a time, often on a tour of the major cities of the U.S.  On weekend mornings, the activity starts early with tour buses dropping off loads of people at the bottom of the hill so they can make the trek to the picture-taking spot.  And on weekend afternoons, it’s almost always families with children racing up the hill and parents lagging behind.

Living here, I’ve learned just a few things about the Lombard Street walk that you should know if you want the enhanced travel experience for San Francisco.  First of all, as you go up the hill, you’ll pass a school on the left side of the street.  The house just past this is semi-famous because it was the home of the cast of Real World San Francisco, so there’s your first picture spot.  You should also know that the hill which follows is the worst part of the walk, so take a deep breath and make your way up.  Next, on the right side of the street at the next corner, you’ll pass what used to be the Montandon Townhouse, home of Pat Montandon, known as the author of The Intruders.  The house was said to be haunted while she lived there and activity there was once investigated by the famous Sylvia Browne.  Finally, most people stop at the bottom of the hill to get a picture with the crooked street behind them, but as far as scenic views go, better pictures can be taken from the top of the crooked part, so keep on climbing until you get there!

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