"""<b>Lombard Street</b> 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 crookedest [most winding] street in the world."""" The switchbacks' design, first suggested by property owner Carl Henry and instituted in 1922 was born out of necessity in order to reduce the hill's natural 27% grade, which was too steep for most vehicles to climb. <br> <br> It is also a serious hazard to pedestrians, who are accustomed to a more reasonable sixteen-degree incline. The crooked section of the street, which is about 1/4 mile (400 m) long, is reserved for one-way traffic traveling east (downhill) and is paved with red bricks. The speed limit in this section is a mere 5 mph (8 km/h).<br> <br> In the 1950s, the street was gardened by a Frenchmen who owned the Bercut meat market.<br> <br> Some of the classiest and most expensive Real Estate in the city, exists on Lombard Street. This Russian Hill neighborhood, somehow possesses stately mansions, condos and townhouses, even with the endless array of tourists pouring down the street every day.<br> <br> Lombard Street is not only """"The Crooked Street."""" It continues in both directions, going all the way east, up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower and continues west down through the Marina, where it becomes the major conduit to Golden Gate Bridge. A walk in either direction makes for a pleasant hike."""
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