Direction
Starting from ground zero of the Financial District near the iconic Shell Building, this walk showcases the magnificent Art Deco towers built to celebrate San Francisco’s commercial prowess.
These downtown streets hold remarkable origin stories: the Bank of California’s founding, the legacy of the first Black sea captain who became one of California’s founding fathers, and the site of the city’s first Native American sweat lodge.
We’ll explore the history of the Transamerica Pyramid and stroll through the newly renovated Redwood Park. In Jackson Square, landmark historical buildings stand alongside Sir Jony Ive’s new AI innovation headquarters—the former Apple design chief’s latest venture. Steps away, Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope café occupies the famed Flatiron Building, on streets where Chileans, Australian convicts, and New York Hounds once fought for territory during the Gold Rush. We’ll pass the Michelin-starred Cotogna & Quince (where President Obama dined) and the European boutiques that line these blocks.
Crossing Broadway, we’ll ascend stairways to breathtaking downtown views, climbing the near-70-degree angles where renowned photographer Fred Lyon captured his iconic images. Hidden here are Italianate houses once home to opera singers, Richard Neutra’s Viennese International Style residence, and the Art Moderne building that served as the setting for Bogart and Bacall’s Dark Passage.
Secret gardens await, and we’ll likely meet neighbors who partner with the city to keep these stairway communities welcoming—the same hillside where early sailors built their first shacks. Descending to Levi’s Plaza (yes, that Levi’s), we’ll discover the discreet charms and extraordinary gardens of Telegraph Hill, where houses perch impossibly on stilts with unobstructed views of the Bay Bridge stretching to the piers.
We’ll conclude along Sansome Street’s advertising and gaming studios, then visit Portsmouth Square—historic Chinatown’s heart, where you can still feel the weight of history being made.
Range
- One Bush Plaza (architect: Skidmore, Owing & Merrill)
- Shell Building (architect: George Pelham)
- Heineman BUilding
- Bank of America (architect: Bliss and Faville)
- What Cheer House
- Pacific Heritage Museum
- Transamerica Pyramid
- Transamerican Redwood Park
- Flatiron Building (Registered Landmark No. 52)
- Jackson Square Historic District
- William Stout Books
- Zoetrope Building
- Telegraph Hill
- Chinatown/Portsmouth Square
- Levi’s Plaza
- Old St. Mary’s Cathedral
- 1930 Pacific Stock Exchange
Logistics
2.5 miles (4 km). 400-600 feet elevation. Moderate hike. Duration: 60 minutes. Starting & Ending Point: Bush Street @ Battery Street.