San Francisco Coit Tower
Completed in 1933, Coit Tower sits perched on Telegraph Hill and is a distinct part of the San Francisco city skyline. The tower was built with $118,000 that Lillie Hitchcock Coit bequeathed to the city to build a monument to firemen. Lillie became the mascot of the Knickerbocker Engine Company No. 5. She was rescued as a child by firemen in the 1850s and she helped firemen get an engine to a Telegraph Hill fire as a teenager. The tower is 210 feet tall and offers panoramic views of the city skyline as well as the piers.
The interior of the tower features murals that were painted by several local artists beginning in 1934 as part of the Public Works Art Project. The murals are painted in the style that was popularized by Diego Rivera. There is no charge for entering the lobby, but a ride to the top of the tower in the small elevator will cost you a few dollars.
There is a very small parking lot at the top of Telegraph Hill. However, there's typically a line of cars waiting for a parking space. I would recommend that you park below the hill and take one of the beautiful stairways. Alternatively, you can take the 39 bus, which you can catch in North Beach at Washington Square park. In the center of the parking lot, there is a statue of Christopher Columbus.
