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.