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Encyclopedia > Lombard Street (San Francisco)
Lombard Street's famed twists
Lombard Street's famed twists

Lombard Street is an east-west street in San Francisco, California. It is famous for having a steep, one-block section that consists of tight hairpin turns. Download high resolution version (960x1280, 717 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (960x1280, 717 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A city-centre street in Frankfurt, Germany A residential street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA A street is a public thoroughfare in the built environment. ... San Francisco redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Road D2204 ascends to the Col de Braus using hairpin bends in the Alpes Maritimes in the French Alps ( ) The kind of hair pin (bobby pin) from which a hairpin turn gets its name Some of the 48 hairpin turns near the top of the northern ramp of the Stilfserjoch...

Contents

Route description

Lombard Street begins at The Presidio and runs east through the Cow Hollow neighborhood. For 12 blocks between Broderick Street and Van Ness Avenue, it is a principal arterial road that is co-signed as U.S. Route 101. Lombard Street then travels through the Russian Hill and Telegraph Hill neighborhoods, breaks off at a point becoming Telegraph Blvd. that leads to Pioneer Park. Finally, Lombard street terminates at The Embarcadero as a collector road. The Parade Grounds at the Presidio of San Francisco. ... Cow Hollow is an upper-class neighborhood in San Francisco, California, located between Russian Hill and The Presidio, and bordering the Marina District. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Highway 101 redirects here. ... Russian Hill is an affluent, largely residential neighborhood of San Francisco, California, in the United States. ... A view of Telegraph Hill from a boat in the San Francisco Bay. ... The Embarcaderos Ferry Building The Embarcadero is the name given the eastern waterfront of San Francisco, California, along San Francisco Bay. ...


Lombard Street is best known for one block on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, in which the roadway has eight sharp turns (or switchbacks) that have earned the street the distinction of being "the crookedest [most winding] street in the United States." (Vermont St. between 20th St and 22nd St near the San Francisco General Hospital may be steeper, but has only seven turns, and is in a much less picturesque location.) The Powell-Hyde cable car line stops at the top of this block. Look up Switchback in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Vermont Street Mid Way Down Vermont Street exists within the Potrero Hill district of San Francisco, California, bordering the 101 freeway. ... San Francisco Cable Car No. ...

Lombard Street bend panorama
Lombard Street bend panorama

The switchback design, first suggested by property owner Carl Henry and instituted in 1922, was born out of necessity in order to reduce the hill's natural 27% grade, which was too steep for most vehicles to climb and a serious hazard to pedestrians used to a more reasonable sixteen-degree incline. The speed limit is a mere 5 mph (10 km/h) on the crooked section, which is about 1/4 mile (400 m) long. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 120 pixelsFull resolution (6892 × 1037 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 120 pixelsFull resolution (6892 × 1037 pixel, file size: 1. ...


The crooked section of the street is reserved for one-way traffic traveling east (downhill), and is paved with bricks. The section was built in 1923 to accommodate the steepness of the slope.

Cars moving on Lombard Street
Cars moving on Lombard Street
Lombard Street seen from Coit Tower
Lombard Street seen from Coit Tower

In 1999, a Crooked Street Task Force was created to try to solve traffic problems in the neighborhoods around the winding section of Lombard Street. In 2001, the Task Force decided that it would not be legal to permanently close the block to vehicular traffic. Instead, the Task Force decided to institute a summer parking ban in the area, to bar eastbound traffic on major holidays, and to increase fines for parking in the area. The Task Force also proposed the idea of using minibuses to ferry sightseers to the famous block, although residents debated the efficiency of such a solution, since one of the attractions of touring the area is driving along the twisting section of the street. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 448 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1027 pixel, file size: 146 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 448 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1027 pixel, file size: 146 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Coit Tower with statue of Columbus in foreground Coit Tower was built atop Telegraph Hill in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the City of San Francisco. ...


Famous past residents of Lombard Street include Rowena Meeks Abdy, an early California painter who worked in the style of Impressionism. Rowena Meeks Abdy (April 24, 1887 - August 18, 1945) was an American painter who flourished in Northern California in the early 20th century. ... This article is about the art movement. ...


In popular culture

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • The street, and the difficulty of driving it, is parodied in the Bill Cosby sketch Driving in San Francisco.
"They got a street up there called Lombard Street that goes straight down and they're not satisfied with you killing yourself that way--they put grooves and curves in there, and they got flowers where they've buried the people who have killed themselves there! [audience reacts with cheers and applause] Yeah, Lombard Street, wonderful street."
  • The Crooked Street section of Lombard Street is also featured in the Disney hit movie The Love Bug (1969) in a scene in which Herbie negotiates the curves at top speed.
  • In the Futurama episode Bendin' In The Wind, the crew negotiates this street in a VW Type 2 while being pursued by Beck.
  • Oft-heard joke told by San Francisco Muni cable-car gripmen to tourists: "What's the crookedest street in the world?" "Lombard Street." "No, Wall Street!"
  • Site of the annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel race, in which adults race the plastic tricycles down the winding portion of the street.
  • In one episode of Full House, the family is on the top of Lombard Street.
  • Lombard Street is featured in the Sierra game Manhunter 2: San Francisco.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... William Henry Bill Cosby, Jr. ... “Computer and video games” redirects here. ... Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the fifth video game in the Grand Theft Auto series. ... View of San Fierro from The Garver Bridge San Fierro is a fictional city featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, based on San Francisco, California and located in the fictional state of San Andreas. ... San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing (also known as San Francisco Rush and Rush) is an arcade racing game set in San Francisco, California. ... San Francisco Rush 2049 (also known as Rush 2049 and Rush 3) is the third racing game in the San Francisco Rush trilogy. ... Midtown Madness 2 is a free roam racing/arcade sequel to Midtown Madness, part of the Midtown Madness series, developed by Angel Studios (now Rockstar San Diego) and published by Microsoft Game Studios, which features a range of vehicles which can be driven around London and San Francisco. ... RAW THRILLS, INC. was founded in 2001 by Eugene Jarvis, Deepak Deo, and Andrew Eloff. ... The Fast and the Furious was a video game developed and published in 2004 by Raw Thrills. ... Tony Hawks Pro Skater on Game Boy Color Tony Hawks Pro Skater (Tony Hawks Skateboarding in Europe), often called THPS, is a skateboarding video game, and the first in the Tony Hawks series. ... Whats Up, Doc? is a screwball comedy from 1972, directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan ONeal, and Madeline Kahn (in her first full-length film role). ... This article is about the television series. ... Type 2, T1 Mini-Bus The Volkswagen Type 2 was the second automotive line introduced by German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen. ... This article is about the musician. ... sounds like a good film http://www. ... The San Francisco Municipal Railway, or Muni as it is commonly known, is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. ... Elaborate marble facade of NYSE as seen from the intersection of Broad and Wall Streets For other uses, see Wall Street (disambiguation). ... A Big Wheel is a type of tricycle, traditionally made of plastic, with an oversized front wheel that rides very low to the ground. ... This article is about the TV show. ...

See also

49-Mile Scenic Drive sign The 49-Mile Scenic Drive (also known as 49-Mile Drive) in and around San Francisco highlights many of the citys major attractions and historic structures. ... Vermont Street Mid Way Down Vermont Street exists within the Potrero Hill district of San Francisco, California, bordering the 101 freeway. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
v • d • e
San Francisco Attractions
Landmarks San Francisco cable car system • Lombard Street • Alcatraz Island • Ferry Building • Ghirardelli Square • Mission Dolores • Pier 39 • California Palace of the Legion of Honor • 49-Mile Scenic Drive • Nob Hill • San Francisco City Hall • San Francisco Public Library • F Market & Wharves historic streetcar line • Golden Gate Bridge • San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge • Transamerica Pyramid • Coit Tower • Cliff House • Fort Mason • Painted Ladies
Museums Exploratorium • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art • De Young Museum • Asian Art Museum of San Francisco • Cable Car Museum • Zeum • Guinness Museum of World Records • Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum • San Francisco Maritime Museum • Aquarium of the Bay • San Francisco Railway Museum • Musée Mécanique • California Academy of Sciences • Conservatory of Flowers • Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Zoos, Islands, Beaches & Parks Angel Island • Alamo Square • Farallon Islands • Fort Point • Glen Canyon Park • Golden Gate Park • Ocean Beach • Palace of Fine Arts • The Presidio • Red Rock Island • San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park • San Francisco Zoo • Stern Grove • Treasure Island • Yerba Buena Gardens
Entertainment American Conservatory Theater • Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Sports California Victory • San Francisco 49ers • San Francisco Dragons • San Francisco Giants • San Francisco Seals • AT&T Park • Cow Palace • Monster Park • Kezar Stadium
Famous Food Boudin Bakery's bread bowls with chowder in them • Ghirardelli chocolate and sundaes • Top of the Mark • IT'S IT Ice Cream • Sourdough bread • Dungeness crab
Shopping Centers Chinatown • Fisherman's Wharf • Japantown • Metreon • Stonestown Galleria • Union Square • Westfield San Francisco Centre
Points of Interest The Castro • Murals in Balmy Alley • North Beach • The ruins of Sutro Baths

  Results from FactBites:
 
Lombard Street (San Francisco) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (317 words)
The switchback design, first suggested by property owner Carl Henry and instituted in 1922, was born out of necessity in order to reduce the hill's natural 27° slope which was too steep for most vehicles to climb and a serious hazard to pedestrians used to a more reasonable sixteen-degree incline.
In 1999, a Crooked Street Task Force was created to try to solve traffic problems in the neighborhoods around the winding section of Lombard Street.
The street, and the difficulty of driving it, is the primary plot of the Bill Cosby sketch Driving in San Francisco.
VIA Online: San Francisco's Lombard Street (392 words)
This thoroughfare is better known as the Crookedest Street in the World, a moniker stemming from the fact that, in 1922, city engineers crammed eight cobblestone switchbacks into a single steep block of Lombard.
The Crookedest Street in the World; the main entrance to the Presidio; Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower; some notable private residences: Herb Caen lived at No. 101 Lombard; No. 900 served as the exterior of Jimmy Stewart's home in Vertigo; No. 953 was the house used for the 1994 season of MTV's The Real World.
This past summer, the city redirected traffic heading to Lombard in an effort to discourage drivers and this is apt to be the case again next summer.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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