Lombard Street (San Francisco) facts for kids
Lombard Street in 2020
|
|
| Part of |  US 101 between Richardson Avenue/Broderick Street 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's known for one special block that has eight super sharp turns, making it look very "crooked"! This street goes all the way from The Presidio in the west to The Embarcadero in the east.
A big part of Lombard Street is a main road that is also part of U.S. Route 101. But the most famous part, often called "the crookedest street in the world," is in the Russian Hill neighborhood. Lots of tourists visit this curvy block, with millions coming each year. On busy summer weekends, up to 17,000 people visit in a single day!
The street was named by a San Francisco surveyor named Jasper O'Farrell. He named it after another Lombard Street in Philadelphia.
Contents
The Famous Crooked Street
Lombard Street starts at Presidio Boulevard. It then goes east through a neighborhood called Cow Hollow. For 12 blocks, it shares its path with U.S. Route 101. The street continues through Russian Hill and then to Telegraph Hill.
Why So Many Turns?
The most famous part of Lombard Street is a one-way block in Russian Hill. This block is between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets. It has eight sharp turns, which is why people call it the "most crooked street in the world."
The idea for this design came from a property owner named Carl Henry. It was built in 1922. The hill here was super steep, about 27 percent! That was too steep for most cars back then. The turns were added to make the slope less steep and safer to drive down.
Driving Down the Curves
This special crooked block is about 600 feet (183 meters) long. It's a one-way street, meaning you can only drive downhill. It's paved with red bricks, which makes it look even more unique. There's a sign at the top that tells drivers to go very slowly, recommending a speed of just 5 miles per hour (8 kilometers per hour).
Many cars drive down this street every day. In 2013, about 2,630 vehicles used it daily. During busy times, cars sometimes have to wait up to 20 minutes to get onto the crooked part. To help with traffic, officials have thought about making visitors reserve a time and pay a fee to drive down.
You can also get to the top of the crooked street by riding the Powell-Hyde cable car. It stops right there on Hyde Street.
Lombard Street in Movies and More
Lombard Street has been featured in many movies! You might have seen it in exciting chase scenes from films like Good Neighbor Sam, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, What's Up, Doc?, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
It also appeared in the 2015 Pixar animated movie Inside Out. Even comedian Bill Cosby mentioned it on his 1965 comedy album Why Is There Air?.
Images for kids
-
Looking east down the curvy block of Lombard Street, with the straight section continuing towards Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower
-
Looking up Lombard Street
-
Traffic caution sign at top of switchbacks recommends a top speed of 5 mph (8 kph)
-
Cars exit from lowest switchback section
-
A long-exposure photo at night clearly shows the eight switchbacks
_Sign_Photowalkabout_March_23_2013-8673.jpg)
Other Crooked Streets
- Vermont Street: This is another street in San Francisco that people say is the "most crooked." It has seven turns, which is one less than Lombard Street. But its hill is even steeper!
- Snake Alley: Located in Burlington, Iowa, this street was once called "The Crookedest Street in the World" by Ripley's Believe It or Not!. Like Lombard Street, it has eight turns, but they are packed into a shorter distance.
See also
In Spanish: Lombard Street (San Francisco) para niños
