Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.
This is the world famous Lombard Street in San Francisco. Known as “the crookedest (most winding) street in the United States”, Lombard street was re-created in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as “Windy Windy Windy Windy Street”.
Its ridiculous switchback design was instituted 1922 in order to reduce the hill’s natural 27° slope, which was too steep for most vehicles.
There’s some good ground-level shots at Wikipedia.
Thanks to James Boorman-Padgett and Nathaniel Hansen.
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With 144 pages of glossy high-quality satellite photos, the weirdest and best of Google Earth is now available in the…
I took some ground level shots:...”
shame, not like GTA, I saw NO cars diving straight over the top while the cops weave through.
(PS: good post to stop those americans having a go at the “too many british posts”)
Also the Watts Towers feature in the game…
Lombard Street was a recurring location in late 60s/early 70s movies, both comedies and action movies. I remember a scene in It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World where the entire entourage of treasure-seekers chase each other back and forth down the curvy road.
Bill Cosby lampooned the street in one of his old Vegas-era albums. “At the corners they planted trees in memory of the people who’ve killed themselves while driving it,” he joked.
What the tourists don’t know is that the actual crookedest street in SF is at 20th and Vermont. Look it up.
Oh, cool!
Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
Thanks for that Mike. I’d check it out next time I visited the West Coast but its a bit out of the way of the usual tourist spots, y’know. Maybe when I’m driving into town.
Still, crookedest or not, Lombard street is really cool-looking. Nice post!
There are fantastic images on windows.live.local (bird’s eye view). I have no idea how to link to the best perspective, but you’ll figure out anyway:
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?cp=37.8019|-122.4189&style=h&lvl=18&v=1
Remember to swith to the bird’s eye!
I’d expect the THPS fans who run GSS to recall that Lombard Street was the starting point in the San Fransisco level of THPS1. I guess this proves that they got it right.
cmon, that street could also been straight–no wonder people avoid going through there
lombard street, as well as many other notable sf locations, can be found in the racing game San Francisco Rush.
I’ve been down that street and the only things I remember is wondering how on earth anyone got in and out of their driveways and how often their cars get dinged up from careless drivers. Unless they had a small car the end stuck out a little into the road.