San Francisco is much farther than Los Angeles, so we have to go there by air. In the United States, it is usually cheaper to take plane than train if the flight is more than one hour and a half, and what's more, taking plane can spare time.

     Lombard Street is best known for the one way section on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, in which the roadway has eight sharp turns (or switchbacks) that have earned the street the distinction of being "the crookest [most winding] street in world." The switchbacks design, first suggested by property owner Carl Henry, and was born out of necessity in order to reduce the hill's natural 27% grade, which was too steep for most vehicles to climb and a serious hazard to pedestrians used to a more reasonable sixteen-degree incline. The crooked section of the street, which is about 400 meters long, is reserved for one-way traffic traveling downhill and is paved with red bricks. The speed limit here is a mere 5 mph (8 km/h).

     In 1999, a Crooked Street Task Force was created to try to solve traffic problems in the neighborhoods around the winding section of Lombard Street. In 2001, the Task Force decided that it would not be legal to permanently close the block to vehicular traffic. Instead, the Task Force decided to institute a summer parking ban in the area, to bar eastbound traffic on major holidays, and to increase fines for parking in the area. The Task Force also proposed the idea of using minibuses to ferry sightseers to the famous block, although residents debated the efficiency of such a solution, since one of the attractions of touring the area is driving along the twisting section of the street.