Stand at the corner of Broadway and Fillmore and look down towards the Golden Gate Bridge to catch a glimpse at the immense gardens and backyards of some of this areas beautiful properties and their deluxe backyards. Other real estate worth viewing includes Arthur Page Brown’s Temple Emanu-El, Northern California’s largest and most expensive synagogue, and the Swedenborgian Church, with its refined rustic interior and fireplace.
Steps at Broadway and Lyon: For a quintessential Pacific Heights moment, descend these steps set between sumptuous houses and the Presidio. You'll alight on a lovely hedge garden and get a glimpse of the Palace of the Fine Arts and the Bay below. Alternately, ascend them and get a great workout.
Alta Plaza Park: This small hilltop park to the west of Fillmore Street has tennis courts, a playground and panoramic city views.
Fillmore Street Jazz Festival: This annual free event, the largest of its kind on the West Coast, takes over Fillmore Street for a full weekend in July. Performances run the gamut of jazz styles and in the past have included such local acts as Sonny Lewis, Pete Escovedo's Latin jazz ensemble and the Oakland Jazz Choir. The festival also offers classic street-fair amenities like arts-and-crafts booths and food and drink from neighborhood eateries.
Lafayette Park: On warm days, the green grass of this two-square-block park is full of sunbathers and dog walkers. The tennis courts offer a bit more wind protection than those at Alta Plaza.
Haas-Lilienthal House: Go back in time with a visit to this fully furnished and preserved 1886 Queen Anne Victorian, replete with turrets and gables. The house, which serves as headquarters for the Foundation for San Francisco's Architectural Heritage, is open for tours Wednesdays and Sundays. 2007 Franklin St., (415) 441-3000. (Web site)
Spreckels Mansion: Romance novelist Danielle Steele and family reside in this ornate pre-WWI home fronting Lafayette Park. 2080 Washington St.
Hartford Properties is a proud member of the National Association of REALTORS®, Equal Housing Opportunity. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.