Michael

The Filbert Steps with Napier Lane are exceptional among the streets with stairs.

isabel

why is that?

Michael

Because it has the Grace Marchand garden and the wooden handing street Napier Lane.

aprillilacs

If you're looking for views, some of my favorites so far are the views from
--De Young Museum tower (free)
--top of Dolores Park (20th & Church)
--Twin Peaks (awesome overview of the city)
--Bernal Hill (the city and bay, and it's a lovely little neighborhood)
--Mt. Davidson (highest point in the city; you can take the bus up most of the way and just walk the last portion to the top; then make your way down the other way through the forest to Forest Hills Muni stop, with a lunch break at Tower Burger for excellent burgers)

There are also many spectacular views to be had along the stairway walks, too numerous to mention here.

Michael

wooden handing street Napier Lane.

wooden hanging street Napier Lane

StuDudley

The street going up the Hayes St Hill from Divisadero to Alamo Square is really not that steep. However, the sidewalk is very steep because the street has been "cut" and the road cars drive on is lower. The west end of the sidewalk at the steepest part is at street level, but when it gets to Pierce where you can view "postcard row", the sidewalk is about 10 feet above the street. Solution is to go into the park as soon as you see it on Scott St.

Aprillilac's sequence is good. It may be longer, but you will not be walking uphill on Haight - which is kind of a "chug". Take the N-Judah to the Cole Valley (get off just after you go through a long tunnel - which is not the Market St tunnel), explore the Cole Valley (Cole St), and then walk the Haight.

Stu Dudley

Leely2

Isabel, I know you are a photo enthusiast. Before I go to work I take a run every day. 2x/wk I run up to Twin Peaks. On a non-hazy day, this can be breathtaking (and I grew up I the city!). Occasionally there is a fog bank all below aberliner light up on the peaks. Sometimes it hazes over later. I am always down by 8am.

Just a thought.

5alive

You have gotten a lot of great advice.

You are seeing the Golden Gate from several vantage points. I will tell you that if you have a telephoto lens and have a day with good afternoon weather, a ferry ride will give you a visual of the bridge from the side. We took the ferry from Larkspur Landing where we were staying, and the ride was beautiful, but especially the bridge. It was July, sunny and we went at about 5:30 pm.

Now, the route of our ferry was further from the bridge than the Greenbrae ferry route on the map but since I have never taken that one, I cannot advise on whether that one is better.

If you do decide to visit Fisherman's Wharf, stop in Musee Mecanique if you like filming things close up. These are really, really old arcade type games, some with figurines who dance or do farm chores...even one with a guillotine.

http://www.museemechanique.org/index.html

Also, hopefully someone local will mention what time of year the sea lions are around, if you haven't seen them. Much larger than seals. Depending on the season, sea lions have commandeered one of the decks down by Fisherman's Wharf. Given all the places you're going, there are likely other places with water where you'll find them (if you know where to look).

isabel

Thanks for all this really great advice.

Stu - I think I'm getting a sense of where the hills are. One day I'd like to do the Mission District, take MUNI to the Park and then walk back through the Haight area to Alamo Square, ending up there in the late afternoon. So I'd be going in the "right" direction to avoid the worst uphills? I'm really not a 'hill wimp', I actually live in what locals here call a 'hill town', our annual town festival is the "Festival of the Hills". But I'm also not trying to walk 8-10 miles a day when I'm home.

Michale - you convinced me, the Filbert Steps/Napier Lane are back on my itinerary.

aprillilacs & leely2 - thanks for those suggestions, they are on my 'list' (although I realize I won't get to everywhere)

5alive - on my trip to SF two years ago I had horrid weather (five days of rain) but I did have sun the few days before I got to SF and drove up from the Monterey area across the GG Bridge to Marin County and the sun came out for that so I got some good shots of the Bridge from the north. Also, on one of my rainy days (sun came out for about 45 minutes) I walked around the water front and saw the sea lions. I really enjoyed them and hope they will be there again this year.

5alive

Hi, Isabel,

sounds like you've seen a lot already. With the ferry ride, you don't see the bridge from the north, but from the east, so you see it in profile, start to finish.

You are right, whatever you decide for an itinerary, weather sure does make a difference. I was fortunate to ride in sunny weather, and a guy was riding a windsurfing sail in our wake, with the sun glinting down. And the city was kinda misty (isn't it always?)

One other thought, less of a destination spot, but there is a Frank Lloyd Wright building on Maiden Lane, near Union Square. It is an art gallery. A lot of curves, circles and echoing patterns. But I am not sure you should delete other destinations from your itinerary for it.