Crazy Curvy Lombard Street

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the blog as we begin yet another new week… and only a little more than one more week until Christmas! Woo-hoo!

This past weekend we did a little tour through the North Beach, Russian Hill, and Embarcadero neighborhoods of San Francisco in search for ideal hide-outs for some Lonely Bouquets. The weather, however, was not on our side. What began in the early morning as a slight drizzle continued into the afternoon hours, becoming progressively heavier. Oh well! That didn’t deter us… and it didn’t stop me from hopping out and snapping a few shots of Lombard Street for you guys!

Best known for it’s one-block section packed with a daring series of eight hair-pin turns, Lombard Street is probably one of the hottest tourist-traps in San Francisco.

What a lot of people don’t know is that from it’s starting point in The Presidio, Lombard Street actually runs for several miles parallel to the harbors and waterfront neighborhoods. The short and steep incline of Lombard’s small, famous stretch offer picturesque views of the city’s more residential neighborhoods, and a little peak-a-boo view of the Bay. From the top of the steep hill you can see Coit Tower in the distance on your right.

It’s a beautiful sight to see in late spring when the hydrangeas are in full bloom. The contrast of the blue blossoms against the red brick road brings the series of switchbacks to life!

The street is so curvy that even the handrails wind back and forth. Although the street is lined with beautiful houses, the steep incline, 5-miles-per-hour speed limit, and constant traffic would (to me) make it a quite undesirable place to call home.

I enjoyed the pretty houses that lined the steep street. I especially loved this bougainvillea-clad masterpiece of woodwork and stucco. I even got to squeeze in a little people watching! After taking some pictures for several cute couples and a pair of soaked sight-seers. I snapped a shot of several Santas strolling by! The more Santas we spotted the more convinced I became that we happened to be visiting during the annual SantaCon bar crawl.

Indeed, it wasn’t a coincidence that so many merry men and women dressed in furry red suits were roaming the city.

How determined of them to brave the bad weather in search of a jolly jug of… milk? Santa drinks milk, right? ;)

The rain did dampen our outing a bit… but we tried to make the best of it!

I hope the weather is treating you much better wherever in the world you may be at the moment! :)

Have a great day, and I’ll see you tomorrow!