I highly recommend San Francisco's Russian Hill for stairway- and hillwalkers. Since I did the other 31.5-grade street's sidewalk stairways yesterday (22nd between Church and Vicksburg), couldn't ignore Filbert's from Leavenworth up to Hyde now, could I?
But first, other stairways to do on the way. Started off with Nob Hill's Taylor sidewalk steps (192 steps, first pic, Pine to California), shortly crossing Broadway to ascend Russian Hill. At Broadway are two sidewalk stairways from Taylor to a concrete wall and benches at the top, nearly to Jones. Took the north steps (166), second and third pix. A couple of the south stairway: pics 4 and 5.
Just after you reach the top, another stairway looms to the right (54 steps, sixth pic), up from Broadway to Florence and out to Vallejo. Vallejo here has sidewalk stairways on both sides and a minipark to the east with the main Vallejo stairway down to Taylor. Upon reaching Vallejo, however, turned west to go down to 1100 Vallejo at Jones via a unique arched-double-stairway: 20 steps (seventh pic).
Downhill on the Jones west sidewalk stairway, 53 steps (eighth pic) to the westernmost block of Macondray Lane. This part, emerging at Leavenworth, has just a few steps on a narrow walkway alongside a building.
Down Leavenworth past Union where the delightful Havens stairway climbs from the west side of Leavenworth about midblock. Descended to the foot of Filbert at Leavenworth, then up the north sidewalk stairway to Hyde (120 steps: pics 9, 10).
One street over (Greenwich at 2000 Hyde) are 27 steps into George Sterling Park. Down from the top at the Alice Marble Tennis Courts the main park stairway plunges down to Larkin: about 113 steps (11th pic).
Up from Larkin back into the park, 92 steps on the north (Lombard) side will take you to a couple of tiled benches. From here (Phoebe's Terrace) climbed back up part of the main stairway as the north stairway doesn't go all the way up.
Out of the park, the top of the Lombard twisty bricked street and its two sidewalk stairways was just ahead. Chose the north stairway again (249-ish steps) down to Leavenworth (12th pic).
On the way back now, steeply down a block to take the long Jones sidewalk stairway up: 2100 Jones at Filbert (13th pic).
From the top of this one (about 369 steps to Green at 1900 Jones), down the Green stairway (128 or so steps, shady with a railing in the middle) to Taylor.
One steep uphill block south on Taylor to Vallejo to Ina Coolbrith Park on the east side of Taylor with its stairway down into the park. On the west side directly across the street is the Vallejo stairway up to the micropark.
Right next to the Ina Coolbrith Park stairway is Fallon Place (last pic), an up-and-back stairway but still a public "street" one can walk. You can't get through down to Mason from here; use the Coolbrith Park steps.
I remember Fallon before it got condo-ized. The few pix I took back then are in my Russian Hill FB album but aren't very good. Later found a library book with a title something like "The San Francisco Street of 80 Steps." Not sure of the exact title; the last time I checked it out was several years ago. Googling it didn't get me any results; don't know the author or when it was published. Probably out of print. It's a short, nostalgic personal history of life on this stairway written by a woman who lived there before the present buildings were constructed. I think at least some of the original steps are still there though.
Continued down Taylor back to Broadway and my Russian Hill beginning.
But first, other stairways to do on the way. Started off with Nob Hill's Taylor sidewalk steps (192 steps, first pic, Pine to California), shortly crossing Broadway to ascend Russian Hill. At Broadway are two sidewalk stairways from Taylor to a concrete wall and benches at the top, nearly to Jones. Took the north steps (166), second and third pix. A couple of the south stairway: pics 4 and 5.
Just after you reach the top, another stairway looms to the right (54 steps, sixth pic), up from Broadway to Florence and out to Vallejo. Vallejo here has sidewalk stairways on both sides and a minipark to the east with the main Vallejo stairway down to Taylor. Upon reaching Vallejo, however, turned west to go down to 1100 Vallejo at Jones via a unique arched-double-stairway: 20 steps (seventh pic).
Downhill on the Jones west sidewalk stairway, 53 steps (eighth pic) to the westernmost block of Macondray Lane. This part, emerging at Leavenworth, has just a few steps on a narrow walkway alongside a building.
Down Leavenworth past Union where the delightful Havens stairway climbs from the west side of Leavenworth about midblock. Descended to the foot of Filbert at Leavenworth, then up the north sidewalk stairway to Hyde (120 steps: pics 9, 10).
One street over (Greenwich at 2000 Hyde) are 27 steps into George Sterling Park. Down from the top at the Alice Marble Tennis Courts the main park stairway plunges down to Larkin: about 113 steps (11th pic).
Up from Larkin back into the park, 92 steps on the north (Lombard) side will take you to a couple of tiled benches. From here (Phoebe's Terrace) climbed back up part of the main stairway as the north stairway doesn't go all the way up.
Out of the park, the top of the Lombard twisty bricked street and its two sidewalk stairways was just ahead. Chose the north stairway again (249-ish steps) down to Leavenworth (12th pic).
On the way back now, steeply down a block to take the long Jones sidewalk stairway up: 2100 Jones at Filbert (13th pic).
From the top of this one (about 369 steps to Green at 1900 Jones), down the Green stairway (128 or so steps, shady with a railing in the middle) to Taylor.
One steep uphill block south on Taylor to Vallejo to Ina Coolbrith Park on the east side of Taylor with its stairway down into the park. On the west side directly across the street is the Vallejo stairway up to the micropark.
Right next to the Ina Coolbrith Park stairway is Fallon Place (last pic), an up-and-back stairway but still a public "street" one can walk. You can't get through down to Mason from here; use the Coolbrith Park steps.
I remember Fallon before it got condo-ized. The few pix I took back then are in my Russian Hill FB album but aren't very good. Later found a library book with a title something like "The San Francisco Street of 80 Steps." Not sure of the exact title; the last time I checked it out was several years ago. Googling it didn't get me any results; don't know the author or when it was published. Probably out of print. It's a short, nostalgic personal history of life on this stairway written by a woman who lived there before the present buildings were constructed. I think at least some of the original steps are still there though.
Continued down Taylor back to Broadway and my Russian Hill beginning.
Taylor from Pine to California, Nob Hill
North sidewalk steps, Broadway up from Taylor
Broadway north sidewalk steps partway up to Jones
Broadway's south sidewalk steps up from Taylor
Broadway's south sidewalk stairway
Up from Broadway to Florence
Vallejo to Jones
Jones to Macondray Lane
Filbert, Leavenworth to Hyde, north sidewalk steps
Filbert sidewalk steps, Leavenworth to Hyde
George Sterling Park main stairway down to Larkin
Lombard's north sidewalk steps, Hyde down to Leavenworth
Jones east sidewalk steps, Filbert to Green
Fallon steps down from Taylor
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