Lombard Street NOT The Crookedest Street
The crookedest street in the world is really not. Lombard Street, San Francisco's famous street is not the crookedest street in the world –According to Ripley's Believe It Or Not, that honor goes to stone-curbed Snake Alley in downtown Burlington, Iowa. In fact, Lombard Street may not even the crookedest street in San Francisco --Vermont Street, on Potrero Hill, disputes that claim.
This detail does not seem to stop the hundreds of tourists that come every day to photograph Lombard Street. The best time for this is spring, when the pink hydrangeas surrounding the switchbacks are in full bloom. Driving down Lombard Street is another must for visitors (that is, if you don't mind waiting an hour in bumper-to-bumper lines), as it is climbing the lateral stairs to enjoy the stunning views of the bay.
Lombard Street starts at The Presidio and runs all the way down to The Embarcadero. The famous crooked block is on the Russian Hill neighborhood, between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, above Ghirardelli Square. The eight sharp turns were instituted in 1922 as a way of dealing with the hill's sharp 27-degree slope. Despite this fact, Lombard Street is not even the steepest street in the city –At 31.5 degrees, Filbert Street takes the honors.
Lombard Street is lined by century-old houses, including # 953, which served as headquarters for MTV's The Real World in 1994. Many of San Francisco's main attractions can be seen from the top of Lombard Street, including Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower, Alcatraz, and the San Francisco Bay.
To get there, take the Powell-Hyde cable car (fare is $3) and get off at the top of the hill, or simply walk up Hyde Street from Ghirardelli Square. No parking is allowed on the area during summer and major Holidays, so make sure you find a nice spot a few blocks away and then walk over.
Lombard Street
Snake Alley Burlington Iowa