Lombard Street (San Francisco) facts for kids
Lombard Street in 2020
|
|
| Part of |  US 101 between Richardson Ave./Broderick St. and Van Ness Avenue |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Philadelphia's Lombard Street |
| Maintained by |
|
| Coordinates | 37°48′07″N 122°25′08″W / 37.80194°N 122.41889°W |
| West end | Presidio Boulevard |
| Major junctions |
|
| East end | The Embarcadero |
Lombard Street is a famous street in San Francisco, California. It runs from west to east. This street is known for one special block. This block has eight very sharp turns, like a hairpin.
The street starts at The Presidio in the west. It goes all the way to The Embarcadero in the east. There is a small break in the street on Telegraph Hill. A large part of the western section is a main road. It is even part of U.S. Route 101.
The most famous part is in the Russian Hill neighborhood. People call it "the crookedest street in the world." Many tourists visit this spot. About two million people come each year. On busy summer days, up to 17,000 people visit.
A surveyor named Jasper O'Farrell gave the street its name. He named it after Lombard Street in Philadelphia.
Exploring Lombard Street
Lombard Street begins at Presidio Boulevard. This is inside The Presidio. It then goes east through the Cow Hollow area. For 12 blocks, it is a main road. This section is shared with U.S. Route 101.
The street continues through the Russian Hill neighborhood. Then it reaches the Telegraph Hill area. On Telegraph Hill, it turns south. It becomes Telegraph Hill Boulevard. This leads to Pioneer Park and Coit Tower. Lombard Street starts again at Winthrop Street. It ends at The Embarcadero. This last part is a smaller local road.
The Crooked Block
Lombard Street is most famous for one block. This block is in Russian Hill. It is between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets. Here, eight sharp turns make it seem like the world's most crooked street.
A property owner named Carl Henry first suggested this design. It was built in 1922. The hill was very steep, about 27 percent. This was too steep for most cars back then. The turns helped make the slope easier to drive on.
This crooked block is about 600 feet (183 meters) long. If it were straight, it would be 412.5 feet (126 meters). Cars can only drive one way: downhill. The road is paved with red bricks. A sign at the top tells drivers to go slowly. It recommends a top speed of 5 miles per hour (8 kilometers per hour).
Many cars drive down this section. During busy times, cars might wait up to 20 minutes. The line of cars can stretch back to Van Ness Avenue. To help with traffic, visitors might need to book a time to drive down. They might also need to pay a small fee.
The Powell-Hyde cable car stops at the top of this block. You can ride the cable car to see the famous turns.
Lombard Street in Movies
Lombard Street has been in many movies. Car chase scenes are often filmed here. Some movies include Good Neighbor Sam, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, What's Up, Doc?, Magnum Force, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. The street also appears in the 2015 Pixar film Inside Out.
Images for kids
-
Looking east down the curvy block of Lombard Street. You can see the straight section leading to Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower.
-
Looking up Lombard Street from the bottom.
-
A traffic sign at the top of the turns. It tells drivers to go 5 miles per hour (8 kph).
-
Cars driving out from the lowest turn.
-
A photo taken at night with a long exposure. It clearly shows all eight turns.
_Sign_Photowalkabout_March_23_2013-8673.jpg)
