Coit Tower and the Telegraph Hill murals

Coit Tower is a 210-foot Art Deco tower on Telegraph Hill at 1 Telegraph Hill Boulevard in San Francisco, California. Completed in 1933 and funded by a bequest from Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a local patron of the city's firefighters, the fluted concrete tower rises above Pioneer Park and is visible from much of the northeastern waterfront. It is a city landmark and one of the places where visitors can see the San Francisco skyline from an elevated vantage point.

The lobby holds a collection of fresco murals painted in 1934 by about two dozen artists as part of the Public Works of Art Project, a Depression-era federal program. Several of the artists had studied under or worked with Diego Rivera, and the murals depict daily life in California, with scenes of farms, factories, shipping, city streets and libraries. Some images carry a social message that was controversial at the time. Visitors can view the ground-floor murals for free, and guided tours offer more context on the artists and the symbolism of the paintings.

An elevator takes visitors to the open observation deck at the top, which offers 360-degree views of the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge and the downtown skyline. The elevator charge is small, and a visit typically takes an hour to an hour and a half including the murals and the walk. Visitors who prefer walking can climb the Filbert Steps or the Greenwich Steps from the Embarcadero, a steep route past gardens and homes, where the neighborhood's wild parrots are often heard.

The tower is busiest on sunny afternoons and weekends, and a queue for the elevator can form. Mid-morning is quieter, and sunset offers the best light for photographs, although it can be crowded. Parking at the top is very limited, so Muni bus 39 or the walk up the steps is a more practical choice.