Built in 1933 to honor the city's volunteer firefighters, picturesque Coit Tower stands 210 feet tall above Telegraph Hill. This Gold Rush souvenir was named after Lillie Hitchcock Coit, an heiress who liked to dress in men's clothing to better gain access to the more interesting corners of the city.
Legend has it that during the early days of the Gold Rush, Lillie deserted her own wedding and chased down the street after her favorite fire engine, Knickerbocker No. 5, in her bridal gown and veil. She left the city $125,000 when she died in 1929 at the age of 86, to "expend in an appropriate manner ... to the beauty of San Francisco."
The walls inside the lobby are covered in 19 Depression-era murals in the style of Diego Rivera, commissioned by the U.S. government as a part of its Public Works of Art project. The 25 painters, some of whom were fresh from art school while others were out-of-work professional fine artists, were paid $38 a week to create the murals.
Ride the elevator to the top of the tower to enjoy breathtaking views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, and Alcatraz island. The slightly larger, wilder island to the east of Alcatraz is beautiful Angel Island, a hikers' paradise with amazing views of the city.
You can often find artists at work at Pioneer Park, at the foot of the tower, where you can pick up a small painting of the bay below at a reasonable price.
City Guides, run by the San Francisco Public Library (415-557-4266), leads free tours every Saturday at 11:00 a.m., including the second-floor murals that are normally closed to the public.
One of the best ways to reach Coit Tower is via two old-fashioned stairways -- an exertion, but worth the effort. The rustic wooden Filbert Steps wind through hillside gardens, and the concrete Greenwich Stairs give plenty of chances to take a break and enjoy the view of San Francisco -- many visitors walk up the Filbert Steps and down the Greenwich Stairs.
Film noir buffs will want to take a look at the fantastic Art Deco building and the unending stairs featured in the Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall 1947 classic "Dark Passage" at 1360 Montgomery St., near the base of the Filbert steps.
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