RV challenge on a San Francisco street

[Tom]

One of the must-do drives whenever we've had visitors over the years has been Lombard Street in San Francisco. Billed as "the windiest street in the world" (see photo), I can't imagine even attempting to go down the street in anything larger than our Suburban.

 

[Ray D]

That gives me eye-popping ideas. I wouldn't even consider taking a large RV into San Francisco, anywhere in SF! Leads me to a question - out of curiosity? Has anyone ever done it? Did you have a good time? Were you able to park it, anywhere?

Ray D

 

[JerArdra]

When we lived in Redwood City (20 miles south of SF) we used to take our 30 foot Lazy Daze through SF with no problem.  You just need to know the route of the MAJOR streets between where you enter SF off the 101 freeway (South end) to the Golden Gate Bridge (North end).  But today some of those streets may have changed.  Someone would have to first scout it out in a car today.

OTOH, we never tried to park our MH in SF.

JerryF

 

[Carl L]

One of the must-do drives whenever we've had visitors over the years has been Lombard Street in San Francisco. Billed as "the windiest street in the world" (see photo), I can't imagine even attempting to go down the street in anything larger than our Suburban.

Ah, dear old Lombard.  However, for sheer blind terror, one is hard put to duplicate the thrill of taking Fillmore Street northbound over the crest of Pacific Heights.  The ground suddenly drops away and there is a brief moment, even in a sedan, that you have to take the continued existance of roadway beneath your front wheel on faith -- and faith is weak I fear.  ;D

 

[JerArdra]

Tom,

Lombard is really fun.  Ardra and I probably have driven it 25 or 30 times with guests BUT, as I remember it, the most fun is Jones street.

You come over the top (peak) of Jones heading toward the Bay at, let's say, 7-8 MPH and it's a SUDDEN drop off 40 to 45 degrees straight downhill run for one block.

As you go over the top (unannounced to your guests) you let out a mild yell, honk the horn, and hit the brake pedal.  Believe me you will have really scared them.  I used to keep "throw up bags" from my many airplane flights in the seat pocket on the rear side of  both the passenger and driver's seats.

Next time you're in SF try it yourself "very slowly" sort of as a practice run for the next time you take guests there.

No need to ask for confermation, YES I really did this.

JerryF

 

[Carl L]

That gives me eye-popping ideas. I wouldn't even consider taking a large RV into San Francisco, anywhere in SF! Leads me to a question - out of curiosity? Has anyone ever done it? Did you have a good time? Were you able to park it, anywhere?

Ray D

I have done that -- towed a 23' trailer thru SF. ?Easier than it sounds tho. ? Heading south across the Golden Gate, take the 19th offramp in the Presidio, get on to 19th Street (CA-1) and head straight south unitl you can get on to the I-280 in Daly City. ? Major street, 100' wide plus all the way. ?Do avoid the commuting hours.

Other than that I have driven a Suburban in the wilds of Knob Hill and the Marina and Embarcadero. ?One glorious Sunday, I drove the Burb to the Wharf for breakfast at the Buena Vista. ?I pulled up to the restaurant and immediately a car pulled out from a big parking slot directly in front of the restaurant! ?I zipped in and parked.

Later that evening I drove the Burb, and family, to Chinatown to hit the Golden Dragon for dinner. ?As I drove down Grant Avenue in the usual Sunday pm mob scene a car suddenly pulled out of a parking slot directly in front of the restaurant and I zipped in. ?Surely that Great Meter Maid in the Sky was smiling upon me.

Knowing the full value of what the Meter Maid had bestowed upon me, when I got ready to leave, I walked to the rear of the Burb and eyeballed the slow, slow procession of cars creeping down Grant looking for a deserving heir. ?Soon I? spied a young family of Chinese extration with a rear seat full of kids. ?I walked over to the guy and said that we were about to pull out, would he like my rather commodius space? ?Oh Lord yes, was the answer ?As I turned to walk back to the Burb, he allowed as how he had been born on Grant Avenue, but this was the first parking space he had ever gotten on it. ? ?;D

 

[Bob Maxwell]

Thirty years ago while I was having fun with my 23' Class C Leprechaun's, I spent a month every summer from 76-79 [4 of 'em] running 1/101 from Laguna Beach and the grandparents up to Canada.

The kids loved it when we'd overnight at one of two Shell stations where we made friends with the owner -one in Carmel, one across the bridge between Tiburon and Sausalito. Then, very early in the morning I'd drive us into SF where I'd ding an end parking space on the street and start feeding it quarters. The kids absolutely loved it. That 100k in those two 23' rigs made a lot of memories for all of us!

 

[Garden Knowm]

I drove the 32 foot storm throgh SF a few times.. never Lombard street though.. probably impossible..

I also drove the STORM across Manhattan.. length wise...  good times.. except:

1. The only toll lane wide enough for RVs on the Golden Gate is the far right lane.. I found that out the hard way.. the toll lady tried to wave me through.. I decided against it (I was right) and backed out into traffic in 10 feet visiblity (night time and raining).. After backing up about 50 feet I noticed the sign.. right lane for buses and trucks...  This was a hair ball experience..

2.  Tried to go through the Lincoln Tunnel in NY.. Police stopped me and turned me around.. NO PROPANE aloud in the tunnel...
They blocked 8 lanes of traffic so that I could turn around.. 
cheers

 

[jerryarlyne]

Well, speaking of Lombard St...... The best one I ever saw was a GreyLine driver that tried to take a 40' tour bus down Lombard. The worst part was that he made through the first turn, by the time he realized he had a problem he was sideways in the second turn. It took two sky hook cranes to lift him back out to the top of the hill.  Don't know if the pictures are still in the Greyline training office but that's where I saw them.

I have driven 40' & 45' tour buses all over SF and even took new drivers there for training, mostly to show them where NOT to go.

I have driven through SF in RV's up to a 36' M/H but the only place I stopped was down by pier 39

 

[Tom]

That must have been a sight seeing the GreyLine bus being lifted out of there.

 

[jerryarlyne]

I only saw the pictures of it but I don't know that I would want to be in shouting distance of the managers. 

 

[hankpac]

Lombard street is closed to motor traffic.

 

[Tom]

When did that change Hank?

 

[hankpac]

Seems like it 's been years. I used to ride my bike on it back when I was in the Army reserve, and it was closed then. Only the local who had a garge door opening on the street could drive on it. They put up barriers on at both ends. Check with AAA. I can't imagine them re-opening it.

 

[Tom]

We must be talking about a different Lombard Street Hank. We drove down the windy part of Lombard Street with other forum members a year or so ago (I may be losing track of time, might have been 18 months ago). I have a photo of cars driving down it in 2005 - I took the photo after driving down it with relatives who were visiting us.

 

[hankpac]

Same Lombard street. I am sorry for the confusion.
I did some research. The street was indeed closed for a period, but the City or the residents there formed a group, that determined that they could not close the street permanently, so it was re-opened to one way traffic. I used the street as the mid point of a bike ride from the Presidio to Coit Tower, and down again. It was the one spot (even though it was tortuous) where I was spared traffic.

 

[Tom]

Thanks for clarification Hank. We've been taking visitors there for 25 years and consider it one of the must-see attractions of San Francisco. I've ofetn thought I wouldn't want to live on that street with the perpetual traffic, but more recently I've come to think of it as part of the ambiance of living on that street.

If you used to bicycle up and down SF streets, you must have one fit/tough dude. It's tough enough walking up and down the streets.