Right in Your Own Backlyard

I recently read a book by San Francisco author Gary Kamiya, "The Cool, Gray City of Love"--fantastic book, and one of my favorite things about it were the "hidden" walkways and parks and trails in San Francisco Kamiya pointed out. He not only revealed spots that would be hidden to all except immediate locals, but he gave some history on some of the spots, both personal and of general interest.


 
I found myself in a city neighborhood that I haven't been to before, and because I marked some of Kamiya's spots on a (real, paper) map, I decided to explore the 16th Street steps nearby. What a treat, and what a labor of love. San Francisco has a number of fantastic stairways, and these surely rank among the top.

The lower steps feature mosaics with the names of contributors on them--the steps are a community effort--and the overall design is gorgeous, from the sea at the bottom to the cosmos at the top. This is not a brief foray--there are 167 steps--but the view from the top is expansive, and the bragging rights alone are worth it. Google Map HERE.