© Debbie Stock 

Coit Tower atop Telegraph Hill is blessed with marvelous views. Farther east are the Greenwich Street Steps at the base of Coit Tower, a climb of more than three separate flights of stairs.  Despite its length, this stairway is worth every inch of the climb - it winds its way through tall trees, hillside gardens and past some of the best local-area views of San Francisco bay in The City. Benches and wide stone railings are available at different parts on the hill for those who need to rest or just want to enjoy the scenery atop this spectacular vantage point afforded by sheer height and open spaces for views.

To reach the top of 210-foot Coit Tower, there is an elevator, open daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., which costs under $5.  Murals on its ground floor walls were painted in 1933 by some 30 local artists; each piece depicting a different aspect of the Great Depression.  The glass-enclosed, exterior elevators move passengers from the lobby to the 32nd floor non-stop in less than 30 ear-popping seconds. The downward plunge, which pulls the stomach as the bottom of the trolley seems to fall beneath your feet, is the closest one can come to being swallowed up by the city.