Seward's folly

Seward Street Slides

San Francisco may not be as weird as Portland, Oregon or Austin, Texas, but our City does occasionally cultivate places with a sense of whimsy. Sometimes a curious feature is not intentional -- Lombard's famous curves were constructed to permit access up and down a steep hillside -- but a few playful spots have been intentionally created, like the Seward Street Slides. You're not likely to find these concrete shoots by accident; they are tucked away off a residential street in the Castro. This walk visits these slides, several alleys, and an open space hill with great views.


Streets: Douglas Street, Corwin Street, Acme Alley, Seward Street, 19th Street, Caselli Avenue, Clover Lane, Grand View Terrace, Grand View Avenue, and 21st Street
Neighborhood: Castro
Length: entire walk about 1.4 miles
Character: residential
Starting coordinates:  37.755465° -122.438799°

View from Kite Hill

Walk it:
Begin on the corner of Douglas and 21st Street, where street parking is generally available (or start at the end of Grand View Terrace/Kite Hill overlook, where there are some spots, and rework your walk from there). Start walking north on the lower section of Douglas, a split street with an upper "ramp" descending from Romain Street. After one long block, Douglas continues down as steps; turn left, now on Corwin Street.
     Pass some rather unlovely blocky apartment buildings and look for signed Acme Alley on the right. Turn right onto Acme Alley, pass the sweet community garden and descend to the Seward Street Slides, on the left. The slides were constructed in 1973, on a plot of land that neighbors saved from development. Everyone loves them, but note that adults are supposed to be accompanied by kids to use them, and the slides are locked up between dusk and dawn. At the base of the slides, turn left onto Seward Street.
     This one block street ends at 19th Street -- turn right. Walk one block, then turn left onto Douglas again. At the end of the next block, turn left onto Caselli. But pause for a moment here to marvel at the gigantic building on the corner. This big white Victorian is the Caselli Mansion, built in 1892, now a SF landmark. Walk up Caselli, then turn left onto Clover Lane.
     This alley climbs via steps, crossing Thorp Lane (which serves as an access road to the garages belonging to houses on Caselli and 19th Street) and continuing to 19th Street. Cross 19th and resume walking on Clover Lane, here a badly eroded and steep alley that is thankfully short. The path ends at the base of Kite Hill -- walk up the obvious (and steep) path to a bench and viewpoint. From here enjoy sweeping views of downtown San Francisco. Corona Heights' rocky top is prominent to the north.
     Continue uphill a bit more, to the edge of the open space, and resume walking on Grand View Terrace. This one-block-long street ends at Grand View Avenue. Turn left. About 1/2 way down the block, look for signed Acme Alley. This little dead end stub doesn't go far, but if you walk down it a few steps you'll see the Transamerica Pyramid perfectly framed by a leafy arch spanning the alley. The name of this alley always makes me smile and think of Road Runner. Continue down Grand View Avenue past Romain to an unusual intersection. Here a very tall retaining wall holds up one lane of the street on the right, while the other "way" of the street dips to meet 21st Street. Turn left onto 21st Street and after one block you'll be back at the starting point.

Hilltop of the gods

Mount Olympus

A weathered old monument stands on top of a hillside in the Parnassus neighborhood. There's a space for a plaque (which seems to have be eroded away) but no hints why the stone tower stands here. Historic photos reveal a past glory: this is Mount Olympus.

In the late 1800's land baron Adolf Sutro donated a statue, the Triumph of Light, for this spot that was thought to be the geographic center of San Francisco. Development crept up the hills surrounding Mount Olympus, gradually obscuring the sweeping views. The statue crumbled, was eventually removed (and apparently lost) and the hilltop faded into obscurity.

A walk to Mount Olympus today feels a bit like a stroll through an old European village. The streets are narrow and lightly traveled and the houses sit right on the edge of the sidewalks, squeezed into the available real estate and then hanging off steep hillsides.


Street: Upper Terrace
Neighborhood: Parnassus
Length: entire walk 1/2 mile
Character: residential
Starting coordinates: 37.763984° -122.444467°

Mount Olympus Stairs

Walk it:
Park on Upper Terrace or surrounding streets near the intersection with Clifford Terrace. Begin on Upper Terrace, walking south. Note an interesting mix of houses here, some very old. As Upper Terrace ascends, cross to the left side of the street near the retaining wall for a great view to Twin Peaks. Across the street Back Alley Way drops from the hilltop. Continue uphill on Upper Terrace. The houses are packed close together but there are a few gaps where you can enjoy views west past Sutro's old forest. Upper Terrace loops around the hilltop and monument, at a lofty 570 feet. This dead end was very quiet when I visited and the monument was empty. Walk to the top and around, although there really isn't much to see. When you're ready, look for unsigned and very easy to miss steps between 455 and 480. The Mount Olympus Stairs drop between houses and end on Upper Terrace. Turn left and return to your starting point.