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SAN FRANCISCO’s BEST ●Attractions●Historical Sites
image copyright Raul Flores
Crookedest Street in the World
Lombard St. betw. Hyde St. & Leavenworth St., Russian Hill. Free.
This famous curvy street is one way downhill. Drivers must maneuver over a bumpy 500-foot-long, red-brick-paved road with eight tight turns while trying not to be distracted by the magnificent view. Get here by driving up the steep incline on the west side of Lombard Street, or, for an easier time of it, drive up from the south side of Hyde Street. It is interesting to know that steeper streets exist in the world. Wales has the steepest--Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech with a gradient of 37.45%, which is 2% steeper than the second-steepest street, which is in Dunedin, New Zealand.
●The other crookedest street is Vermont Street between 22nd and 23rd streets on Potrero Hill. Though it has only six turns, they are said to be tighter than Lombard’s.
●The shortest crooked street is Octavia Street between Jackson and Washington streets in Pacific Heights. It is a charming, brick-paved mini-Lombard.
●The city’s steepest streets are Filbert Street between Hyde and Leavenworth streets (with a 31.5 % grade), 22nd Street between Church and Vicksburg streets (also with a 31.5 % grade), and Jones Street between Union and Filbert streets (with a 29 % grade).
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