Vallejo street stairs

The Vallejo street stairs were reputed to have some dizzying views of the San Francisco skyline.
A person can see a lot from up here, it's true.













There's Alcatraz again...

...and the bay bridge.

Lyon street stairs

If you want to run up and down stairs, this is apparently the "it" spot to do so.  I was very out of place with my camera, jeans and sweater.
I could see, though, that if you want to enjoy fantastic views of the bay during your workout, these steps are the place to be.

Hidden garden stairs

The Hidden Garden steps (also located on 16th Ave) are the neighborhood's second installment of artfully decorated tile stairs. 

Another community effort at beautifying the surroundings with good results, these stairs have little hidden gems as you climb.  Bugs, cats, crawfish--there's something for every one.

16th avenue stairs

The AAA magazine suggested that I might want to see the artsy 16th Avenue stairs in San Francisco.
Yes, I decided, the AAA magazine was correct...and a theme was born:  The stair tour of San Francisco.
These are stairs that started the tour.

It was community clean up day and the stairs were covered in safety-vest-clad volunteers.  From the top there was a far-reaching view of city.
Also at the top was a friendly neighbor who told us the story of the stairs.

A woman who lives next door to them started the clean up efforts.  Then she organized donations to beautify stairs.  What came from that is a marvelous example of tile work and urban art.
Names of neighbors and donors are worked into the tile design, giving everyone a little piece of "ownership" in their neighborhood stairs. 

The friendly story-teller said that now people come from all over the world (I did) by the thousands every week just to see the stairs. 

The tower stairs

These are the stairs to go up to the top of the castle tower. 

Cool, huh?

Wiesbaden

 Wiesbaden has some pretty doors and buildings.

Sher Mandal

We've been over the tragic story of Humayan's death.
How he fell down the stairs and succumbed to his injuries a few days later.

Poor Humayan.

His officials waited to tell the people that the emperor was dead until Akbar could reach Delhi from Agra.  He was already dead for 17 days when it was announced.

So it seems that I may have told this story a few too many times. 
Because at the last visit to his tomb, I said to myself, "Hey, Humayan died just up the road a ways--I should go see where."

The Sher Mandal is inside the Purana Qila.  It was built by Sher Shah as a part of his palace, but Humayan liked the building and when he returned to Delhi, he turned it into a library and an observatory.
And he spent a lot of time there.

Well, as much time as there was in the year he had in Delhi before his accident.
The Sher Mandal is also where the infamous stairs down which he fell--and died--are.

Poor Humayan.