You've seen its eight switchbacks in movies, but Lombard St doesn't deserve its nickname as 'San Francisco's crookedest street' – Vermont St in Potrero Hill deserves that honor. Lombard is more scenic, with flowerbeds lining its brick-paved 900 block. It wasn’t always so bent: it plunged straight downhill until too many joyriders crashed in the 1920s. Today traffic is slow and skating is banned – so Lombard St thrills featured in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game are strictly virtual.
Every Easter Sunday in the early 2000s, adults arrived at the crest of Lombard St toting plastic toy tricycles for the annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel race. After vehement complaints from some residents, art-prankster organizers moved their toy joyride to – where else? – Vermont St. Check http://bringyourownbigwheel.com for details.
