Crookedest Road Smackdown!

Where's Pipkin? Lombard St or Vermont St?

The crookedest street in San Francisco...you're thinking Lombard St, arn't you? With its 8 sharp turns and 27% grade, it is indeed quite crooked. But did you know there's another crooked street in San Francisco, and it might be even more crooked? It's called Vermont St and you may not have heard of it, because Lombard gets a lot of hype. Maybe it's the red bricks that pave the 1/4 mile stretch. Maybe it's because its greenery is so perfectly manicured. Quite possibly it's the great view from the top of the hill, looking down into San Francisco Bay. For whatever reason, Lombard St gets all the glory, but little Vermont St is definitely worth visiting, especially if you don't feel like battling the tourists for your time on the road and your share of holiday snaps.

After hopping down Lombard St, even Pipkin's mustache was crooked.

Pipkin visited both streets for comparison. The crooked stretch of Lombard runs east-west through the neighborhood of Russian Hill, between Hyde and Leavensworth streets. It's a one way section, and it's completely clogged up with both car and foot traffic. The posted speed limit is 5 mph, and everyone was crawling down the hill, brakes on, with a passenger or two hanging out the window taking video and photos. On the plus side, the view from the top is breathtaking, and the road is a well maintained red brick. Pipkin felt a little sorry for the people who live there, although if they chose to live on such a famous street, they must not mind the traffic and noise.

Labbits would probably prefer this dark, quiet, and cozy street.

3 miles to the south in the neighborhood of Potrero Hill, Vermont St runs north-south, and its curvy section is between 20th and 22nd streets. It's a steeper but shorter crooked stretch, with 7 turns, and is paved with concrete instead of red brick. Vermont St is nicely landscaped as well, but instead of flowers, tall trees and large shrubs have been planted, giving the street a more shaded and closed-in feeling. It's a much, much quieter and less trafficked road. Hopping down the hair pinned street is just as dizzying as Lombard St but Pipkin would swear Vermont St is more crooked! He does live in Vermont though, so he might be a bit biased. You'll have to visit both streets and determine for yourself which you think is more crooked!

Pipkin says Vermont St is more crooked than Lombard St. And that's final!

Crouching Labbit, Hidden Domo

Just a little silliness, playing in the bamboo forest at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Language Lessons

This sign post in San Francisco's Japantown teaches its visitors useful words in Japanese, like "usagi", which is Japanese for rabbit.

"labbit" is engrish for rabbit.

And now you know!

A Day Along the Embarcadero

Pipkin and Domo embrace their multiarmed aquatic overlord.

Pipkin and Domo spent another gorgeous day in San Francisco by walking along the Embarcadero from Rincon Park all the way to touristy Pier 39. The more eastern stretch of the Embarcadero was quieter, and Pipkin and Domo enjoyed naps on the grass, posing with the aquatic sculptures along the seawall, and watching the locals running.

Domo looks to be trapped in the jaws of a smilodon fossil (sabre-tooth cat). He wonders if maybe he is a descendant of such a wonderful creature, alas, the teeth may be the only resemblance.

There's a lot of aquatic life to see along the Embarcadero, like these sea lions, hanging out at Pier 39:

Or these sardines, swimming in pack formation at the Aquarium of the Bay. Looks dizzying...

 Even San Francisco's sourdough bread (known for its distinct sourness, due to the strain of lactobacillus in their Gold Rush era starter) can be found shaped in aquatic animals like alligator, crab, lobster, and turtle!

You can watch breadmakers at Boudin Bakery shape their bread into different animals.

Pipkin got a turtle shaped loaf, which was tasty, if difficult to eat because he's so adorable!

But it's not all the life aquatic along the piers of the Embarcadero. There were a variety of land animals at the Aquarium of the Bay, like this white chinchilla. Pipkin really wanted to have him freed of box life in the Aquarium (where he had no other chinchilla friends to hang out with) but he couldn't get him out of the glass cage. He hopes the chinchilla doesn't have too bad of a life there. At least he's got lots of food, and he does look like he's got a cozy set up.

"Would you like to come out of there and hop on some real live grass?"

The chinchilla was not available for comment.

It was a sad end to their day along the Embarcadero. Pipkin felt very, very grateful to Domo for having freed him from a life in a box, on a shelf in a store. Not every labbit gets to go on so many adventures, so with that thought, he decided tomorrow would be a good day. A day of more labbity adventure!

Poolside Pause

Sometimes, you gotta enjoy the sunset poolside, especially when there's no one around.

Well, hopefully you can tolerate your best friend being a little silly.