The Filbert Steps, San Francisco

One of my friends is flying to see her daughter in Berkeley, California, this week, and will be sightseeing in San Francisco while she is there.  I was telling her about my trip to San Francisco this past summer (you can read about my trip under my blog's California label), and I realized I never had a chance to blog about the Filbert Steps on Telegraph Hill.  So let's leave the snow and cold of New York City for this post, and return to the bright blue sky and water of the city by the bay.

Telegraph Hill is one of San Francisco's forty four hills, with an elevation of 275 feet, and it is primarily a residential area in the North Beach neighborhood. Coit Tower is located in Pioneer Park at the top of Telegraph Hill,

The two hundred and ten foot tower was built in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the city of San Francisco. Visitors can pay to take an elevator to the top of the tower where there is a three hundred and sixty degree view of the city from windows at the top.

Above and below are some of the wonderful views that can be seen from Coit Tower.

Just as there are wild parrots in Brooklyn, New York, there are also wild parrots on Telegraph Hill, and when you visit the area you can hear them chattering in the trees, especially in the morning and evenings.

Located on  the eastern side of Telegraph Hill, the Filbert Steps perhaps one of the most famous of San Francisco's stairways.

The stairs are impressive for their length, their wonderful views of San Francisco, the well tended secret gardens on either side, and the beautiful and historic homes along the way. If you are a tourist in San Francisco it is a wonderful walk to take!

 A view of the beautiful bay from the steps.

Looking back at some of the steps and the Coit Tower high above in the distance.

My husband continues the descent down the steps.

 Some of the beautiful and unusual flowers we saw along the way.

You can see how steep the steps are at times.

A collage of more of the steps as we made our way down the hill.

As we walked down past many homes and gardens on the hill, it made me wonder what it would feel like to live in one of those homes and to have such a beautiful view of the bay outside.  It also made me wonder how it would feel to have a steep climb up and down the hill everyday, as some of the homes can only be reached by the steps.

We made it to the end of the steps on Sansome Street. This is the view looking up at the end of Filbert Steps, or the beginning if you chose to walk up. We saw some hearty souls walking up the steps, but I definitely think it's a more pleasant trip to walk down them. Of course you can drive up on a road to the top of Telegraph Hill, and back down, or take a taxi, but taking the steps can be one of the more memorable experiences you will have when you visit San Francisco. I hope this post will convince my friend to seek them out!

I'm linking this post to "Outdoor Wednesday" on Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer. Thanks, Susan, for hosting every week.