Discount Car Rental and Lombard Street

San Francisco is famous for many things - the fantastic restaurants, the amazing culture - but there's also something a little crooked about California's Bay City! Do you know what it is? If you need a hint just head to Lombard Street in your Super Cheap discount car rental! Lombard Street is an east-west street that runs from The Presidio, through the Cow Hollow neighborhood, past the Russian Hill and Telegraph Hill neighborhoods all the way to The Embarcadero The street's best known section is located one block from Russian Hill, between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets. This section features eight sharp turns or switchbacks, all at a 40 degree natural slope! Known as "the most winding street in the United States", this section of Lombard Street is about 1/4 mile long and requires discount car rental drivers to maintain a safe speed of just 5 miles per hour! No trip to San Francisco would be complete with a leisurely drive down this scenic street, so what are you waiting for! Plan a snaking drive down Lombard Street during your upcoming discount car rental vacation!

A Simple Pleasure for Leisure Travelers

The main attraction of Lombard Street is, of course, navigating the steep slope and hairpin curves from behind the wheel of a discount car rental. Many tourists also opt to watch other drivers as they snake through the one-block section of downhill traffic. On a busy day, travelers can watch a seemingly endless stream of automobiles and scooters as they weave their way down to the intersection below. A special sidewalk is located along the roadway in order to help pedestrians navigate the hill's steep grade as well. The best time to visit Lombard Street is during the spring and summer months as special landscaping crews enhance the hillside with a fantastic array of flowers and shrubs. If you would like to navigate the curves of Lombard Street during your upcoming discount car rental vacation, Super Cheap recommends visiting during the early morning or right after morning rush hour. Traffic is normally light and the landscape always looks brighter in the morning light. The best way to photograph this curvy Street is from the bottom, looking up.

Forget about the Straight and Narrow! It's Time to get Curvy!

The switchback design of Lombard Street was first suggested by property owner Cal Henry back in the early 1920's. The design was implemented in 1922. Nearly 80 years later the city instituted a Crooked Street Task Force in order to solve growing traffic problems in the neighborhoods around the winding street. A summer parking ban is now instituted in the area. East bound traffic is also barred on major holidays. If you would like to visit Lombard Street during your upcoming discount car rental vacation remember to approach it from Hyde Street. Lombard is a one-way street - you can't drive up from Leavenworth. The Powell-Hyde Cable car also makes a stop at the top of Lombard Street if you would prefer to navigate the twisty street by foot. Lombard Street is located just a few blocks from Ghirardelli Square, so be sure to drop by during one of your discount car rental tourist outings.

Keeping it Crooked: Interesting Facts about Lombard Street

Although Lombard Street is known as "the most winding street in the United States' it actually isn't! In fact, it isn't even the curviest in San Francisco! Lombard Street earned the honorary name because of its beautiful scenery and surround Victorian style houses. If you would like to visit a truly twisted street during your upcoming discount car rental vacation try Vermont Avenue at 20th Street.
Rowena Meeks Abdy, an early California Impressionist painter, once lived along Lombard Avenue.
Video gaming enthusiasts may recognize Lombard Street as the inspiration for the Windy Windy Windy Windy Street in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Bill Cosby parodies Lombard Street in his sketch comedy act Driving in San Francisco.