Lombard Street (the Crooked Street)

Lombard Street, at 1000 Lombard St on Russian Hill in San Francisco, California, is best known for its single steep block of eight tight hairpin turns paved in red brick. The block runs downhill between Hyde Street and Leavenworth Street, with the road dropping at a steep grade that led to the switchbacks being built to make the descent drivable. Landscaped planters filled with hydrangeas and other flowering shrubs line each curve, and Victorian and Edwardian homes frame the street on both sides. Visitors see the street from two main positions. At the top, near Hyde Street, the view looks down the full zigzag toward Coit Tower and the bay. At the bottom, near Leavenworth Street, the curves stack up in the frame and make the classic photograph. Pedestrians use the staircases on both sides of the crooked block, which makes walking down the best way to see the details up close: brickwork, garden beds and the rooftops below. The walk takes only a few minutes, so most visits last 30 to 45 minutes including photographs and the climb back up. Vehicles may drive the block one way, downhill only, and the city has at times used reservation or fee programs to manage traffic on the crooked section, so current rules are worth checking at sf.gov before driving. Crowds build through the late morning and peak in the afternoon during summer, when the line of cars waiting to enter can stretch back up Lombard Street. Early mornings and weekdays are quieter and give cleaner photographs without traffic. The street sits on the Powell-Hyde cable car line, which stops at Hyde and Lombard, so a common plan is to ride the cable car up and then descend the staircase on foot. The surrounding Russian Hill streets are steep and residential, and residents ask visitors to stay on the sidewalks and stairs and keep noise low. Fisherman's Wharf is roughly a 15 to 20 minute walk downhill to the north.