The Inside Scoop by our Local Expert
The section of San Francisco's Lombard Street between Hyde and Leavenworth has the distinction of being known as the most crooked street in the world. Constructed in 1922, it meanders down its extremely steep hill through a series of eight switchbacks, and motorists can only negotiate its red brick surface at a snail's-paced 5 miles per hour. Despite its treacherous incline, Lombard Street is fairly well traveled as it forms part of US Route 101.
Lombard Street has achieved both fame and notoriety by being referenced in popular films, and those who decide to hike up or down the street will find it familiar from watching Hitchcock's "Vertigo" - which was the first film to star this singular street - and Clint Eastward's "Magnum Force". The street has also turned up in such pop-culture places as an episode of "The Simpsons" and the video games "Driver: San Francisco" and "San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing".
The area around Lombard Street is called Russian Hill, and anyone taking the time to visit Lombard Street's insane curves should put a few minutes aside to explore the adjacent blocks. Attractions in the area include the Cable Car Museum, the Shakris Fine Art Gallery, which specializes in Oriental art, and the magnificent Grace Cathedral, which bears a striking resemblance to Notre Dame. If they can find the time, visitors can also catch an independent film at the Lumiere Theater.
Art lovers will be interested to know that famous American artist Rowena Meeks Abdy once lived on the exaggerated curves of Lombard Street, and they may even want to make a pilgrimage to her house. Abdy lived on Lombard Street from at least 1926 until her death in 1945, and, today, her works have found homes at such illustrious places as the California Palace of the Legion of Honor and the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno.
Lombard Street also has its share of ghostly visitors, and those who'd welcome things that go bump in the night should visit the Montandon House. The mid-60s saw popular socialite Pat Montandon hold a party during which she, and the house, was cursed by an irate fortune teller as she had forgotten to bring him his drink. Ghostly occurrences have happened at the house ever since, and three of Montandon's friends have died there. The pro-paranormal set should therefore find this house a welcome addition to their Lombard Street itinerary.