Colorful stairs in the city
There are two types of people in the world: those who choose the stairs and those who opt to stand on the slow-moving escalator. Suffice it to say, Pokey with her boundless energy, is definitely the former. Good thing San Francisco is so hilly – climbing up stairs is a piece of cake when you walk up and down hills on a regular basis just getting coffee and going for a walk!
There are several colorful stairs hidden away inconspicuously in different neighborhoods in San Francisco. I’ve listed a few that we visit on a regular basis to work out those glutes!
Lincoln park Steps
Tucked away on the edge of Land’s End are the beautiful Lincoln Park steps. The steps were re-done in 2007 and designed by local artist Aileen Barr. They are found at the end of a small side-street of an apartment complex, and lead up to the beginning of the park and golf course. They are perfect to go see on a sunny or cloudy afternoon, like I did, before taking a stroll through Land’s End.
Pokey had a fantastic time playing on the steps for awhile, until I made her sit for pictures.
Then she was miserable!
Lyon Street Steps
When my almost 70 year old mum comes to visit me, I make her climb these 332 stairs and she curses me for it every time but grudgingly climbs them! They view from the top is totally WORTH it!
The Lyon Street steps are a wonderful piece of urban planning. The stairs start on Broadway Street and make their way from the Pacific Heights neighborhood all the way down to the Marina District.
16th Avenue Tiled Steps
Arguably San Francisco’s most famous stairway, the 16th Avenue Tiled Staircase will allow you to not only see some amazing views of the city, you'll get to appreciate a beautiful mosaic running up 163 steps.
The steps paint a picture of the sea flowing into the sky. A colorful twist of water and sea life swirl up the steps to land with flowers, plants, birds, and frogs and ends with a beautiful sky with stars and even a massive sun. Over 2,000 handmade tiles and 75,000 fragments of tile, mirror and stained glass went into the finished piece.
Hidden Garden Steps
The Hidden Garden Steps (a stone’s throw from the 16th Avenue steps) was a neighborhood initiative completed in 2013 and these mosaic beauties feature trippy shapes such as snails, flora, and mushrooms.
