Hyde St, Russian Hill

Hyde Street is another great street on its northern end where you will find a number of attractions for tourists and locals alike. First, of course there is the cable car line that runs up and down the Russian Hill, providing great bay views and the steep grades that have made this city popular both aesthetically and as the setting for bumpy car chases.

Along Russian Hill, which is my favorite residential part of Hyde Street, you get a really nice blend of updated, sleek looking three story buildings that look like they used to be Victorians in former lives. Now they still have bay windows and other features of the Victorians we have come to expect from SF, but modernized to Twenty-First century standards. You also have some older higher rises in this area that strangely seem to add to views by creating a greater sense of background and foreground. Just visually great and with the sort of SF weather that you love—fogs and sea breezes and even the occasionally glorious clear day where you can see to the Sausalito.

You will also run into to your share of touristy spots on Hyde—the famous part of Lombard street is at its zenith here—but it does not characterize the street. In other words, you can take a walk along most parts of Hyde in the summer without running to droves of shutterbugs (except at Lombard of course).

Hyde Street also has some fantastic European cuisine where you can eat great Italian food at Frescatti, or French food at the intimate Hyde Street Bistro, or Spanish food at the extremely popular (and usually crowded) Zarzuela. You can also take a trip outside of European continent by going for sushi at the Sushi Grove. If your tastes are a little more pedestrian, like mine, you might prefer Za Pizza or the ice cream at Swenson’s. Or if you are looking for a great night spot, you might try the Bacchus Sake Bar—very cool!

The bay end of the street you can find the cable car turnaround where you can expect to see local street performers. At the corner of Hyde and Bay is the famous Buena Vista lounge; the self-proclaimed inventor of official Irish Coffee. The street has views of Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. The park at the end of Hyde Street has been featured in many movies.