Tour 1
Lombard Street, Nob Hill, Union Square, China Town, North Beach, Coit Tower, Ferry Building, Cable Cars
Lombard Street
The “crookedest street” in the world is a 20 minute walk from the Inn. Just walk down Columbus Ave towards the Trans America Pyriamid and turn right on Lombard, towards Van Ness Ave, and continue straight until you see the crowds start to gather at the sight of tons of cars slowly making their way down that super windy street. Have fun by walking to the top, where you get one of the great views of the city. (WARNING: It’s a steep climb.)
Nob Hill
Now that you’re at the top of the hill at Lombard and Hyde, you can turn left and enjoy strolling the ritziest section of the city. Head right and walk down Hyde Street, detouring to Mason and Taylor Streets for about 15 blocks.
From Lombard and Hyde, you’re in a great spot to view those terrific San Francisco vistas. As you head down Hyde, look back a few times. Go up, and you’ve got Alcatraz right below you, look down, and see the cable car tracks.
On this route you’ll see great old San Francisco homes and mansions, more great views of the city, and the swankiest hotel in town, the Fairmont, where singer Tony Bennett first sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” back in 1961. (A statue of him is prominently displayed outside the hotel.) If you ever watched Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Vertigo, which was partially shot in San Francisco, directly across the street from the Fairmont is the Brocklebank Apartments, where Kim Novak’s character Madeline lived in the first half of the movie.
The corner of Mason and California street, just down one block, is where photographers like to go to get the iconic shot of the cable car coming up the street, with the Bay Bridge in the background.
Union Square
From California Street, turn right on Powell Street, and walk three blocks. You’ll start seeing the popular shopping names like Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, a signal that you are approaching Union Square. This big public square is fun to shop and visit, and this is where you’ll most likely go for local theater.
Chinatown
Continue down Geary Blvd. for a block, turn left on Grant and walk three blocks to get to the “Dragon Gate” that will welcome you to Chinatown. It’s the largest Chinatown outside of Asia, and the oldest in North America as well as the oldest Chinatown in North America. The highlights are gawking at the markets and shops selling fare from outside the region, and of course eating. Dim Sum is very popular, and don’t forget to visit the Golden Gate Fortune Cookies factory, where you can watch the iconic cookies getting made at 56 Ross Alley.
North Beach
Continue walking 8 blocks up Grant Avenue, all the way through, and when you cross Broadway, you will leave the Chinese district for the Italian one, just like that. North Beach is home to great Italian restaurants, bakeries, gelato, espresso, imports and fabulous times. If you didn’t eat in Chinatown, you’ll want to indulge here. The food is amazing.
(There is no actual beach here, but there once was, in the 1800s, hence the name.)
In the 1950s, North Beach was also home to the Beat Generation, with authors Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. When you leave Chinatown, you’ll see the City Lights Bookstore, an outgrowth of the Beats area, immediately to the right of Broadway, on Columbus Avenue, the heartbeat of North Beach.
If you’re looking for the biggest, most authentic Italian sandwich you’ve ever had, try Molinari’s deli, a 100-year-+ market/restaurant at 373 Columbus Avenue. North Beach is home to over 10 great Italian restaurants within an eight block radius.
Coit Tower
Coit Tower is the symbol of North Beach, and also a great marker when you’re out walking. If you know where Coit is, you can figure your way around. The tower is 210-foot, offering panoramic views over the city and the bay. Built between 1932 and 1933, the art deco tower, built of unpainted reinforced concrete, features fresco murals in the American fresco mural painting style, painted by 25 different onsite artists and their numerous assistants, all from the 1930s. Entrance to see the art is free, but to go to the top of the tower and see those amazing views, you’ll have to pay. It’s worth it.
From Molinari’s, walk down Columbus and revel in North Beach arts, culture, scene and snacks. Walk two blocks to Kearney and go four blocks, then turn right at Filbert. Continue one block until you merge with Telegraph Hill and take one block to Pioneer Park, which Google Maps describes as “Famous hilltop park with panorama views.” Note that when you’re up there you can see almost the entire Bay Area from one sitting, from the city (best skyline view) to the Golden Gate and Marin County, to the East Bay and Richmond/Oakland. Sorry folks, no Silicon Valley view, as it’s not on the water.
Once you’re done, you can either saunter down the hill, taking five blocks downhill on Lombard, where you can see that crooked street from across the way, before turning left on Columbus and heading back to your room, to collapse, or continue with one last, optional stop.
Ferry Building
Continue from Coit Tower, by heading down Filbert Street and the Filbert Steps four blocks to the waterfront, called the Embarcadero, turning right and going six blocks to the Ferry Building. Or, if you’re pooped and want to do it later, from from the Inn, just head down Bay Street to the Embarcadero, turn right, and walk the waterfront to the Ferry Building.
Over 100 years old, the Ferry Building goes back to a time where it acted as a shipping port, and as the transportation hub that got people back and forth to the East Bay and San Francisco. Today, you can still catch the ferries, and enjoy great food available in stalls at the building.
Cable Cars
Just two blocks away from the Inn, on Bay and Taylor, is the Powell/Mason Cable Car Turnaround, the starting point for the ride that for $8 will take you through Chinatown, North Beach, the Civic Center, Russian Hill and south of Market, and drop you at Powell and Market. You’ll pass the classic Rice-A-Roni shot, with the Bay Bridge in the background, at Powell Street and California.