Lombard Street

Lombard Street is another one of San Francisco’s must visits. The easiest way is to drive down it, but you must enter Lombard Street from either Larkin Street or Polk Street. Do not attempt entering it from Hyde Street.

When I have visitors, and they want to walk down it, I “quickly” drop them off at the corner of Hyde and Lombard Streets, then circle around down the hill and pick them up at the bottom. Parking is not impossible but highly impractical in the area.

The street is lined with beautiful small homes and there are city views from the top and bottom of the street. You can also get there by cable car as it stops at the top of the hill. However, it is unlikely you can get back on the trolley car due to crowds, and it will not wait for you.

If you are on foot, you can get good cable car pictures when it stops at the top. Lombard Street was not always crooked. In its early years it was a 27 percent grade and difficult to walk on. If you dropped your bag of groceries, your apples and oranges would end up in Chinatown. Vermont Street is actually more crooked than Lombard. It is located between 20th and 22nd street but is not as scenic.