Telegraph Hill

Before the holidays and before it got too cold and rainy, Tom and I decided to take an urban hike up Telegraph Hill. We stopped at Levi Plaza along the way.

We checked out the little Levi Strauss museum.

Here is a denim loom

and some jeans from the 1880s.

I like this 1987 jean jacket. Why didn't I have one of these??

Then, we tackled the Filbert Steps.

They lead up through a beautiful resdential area with houses and gardens on each side.

Somehow, Tom always manages to attract a black cat. (See posts from Nov. 26 and Apr. 24 for other photos of the black cat whisperer.) A resident told us that this cat's name is Mimi and that she has a reputation for being a bully. Apparently, she beats other cats up and enters their houses through the kitty doors to steal food. But she looks so sweet!

As we continued up the steps, we passed this cool deco building. According to the interwebs, the building was featured in the film noir movie, Dark Passage, with Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. Bacall's character lived in an apartment in this building and several key scenes were shot here.

At the top of the hill is Coit Tower. Coit Tower is a 210-foot art deco tower, built in 1933 at the request of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the city of San Francisco.

It contains fresco murals created as part of the Public Works of Art Project, the first of the New Deal federal employment programs for artists.

We took the rickety elevator up to the top of the tower.

We took in the magnificent views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, and the piers.

Finally, we climbed down the hill into North Beach and shared some delicious wine and food at Mario's.

We'll have to do it again soon!