The Painted Ladies

Postcard Row. The Seven Sisters. The Painted Ladies.  Three names for one of the many things San Francisco is known for ~ the gorgeous painted houses, and they are incredible  What makes a house a true “Painted Lady”?  These unique homes must feature Victorian and Edwardian architecture and be painted in three or more distinct colours.

Painted Ladies can be found dotted throughout the city and most famously along Alamo Square.

Alamo Square and park, located between Fulton and Grove Streets, is located in a residential neighbourhood and consists of approximately four city blocks at the top of a hill.  The park overlooks the skyline of downtown San Francisco and is where you will find the most well known of the Painted Ladies, the Seen Sisters.  These historic homes have been seen in such movies as “The Body Snatchers” and the television series “Full House”.

On a gorgeous spring day, we set out on a quest to find the Seven Sisters with nothing but a very vague map and movie clips playing in our head.  Our tour bus dropped us a few blocks from Alamo Square.  It didn’t take us long to get our bearings and before long we were lucky enough to stumble upon the park.

As you come over the crest of the hill, there they were in all their glory. Seven gorgeous houses all in a row.  The area was full of locals soaking up some sunshine and grabbing a quick lunch.  The play areas was busy with children and dogs running in the off leash park. Locals sat quietly chatting, drinking coffee and working on laptops while I tried to contain myself, wanting to break into a run and get the best view possible.  Cellphone in one hand and camera in the other, I forced myself to slow down and drink it all in. This was one of my bucket list items; to see the park where DJ Tanner and her family had grown up. To finally see the Painted Ladies.

They were everything I’d hoped for and more. We snapped a few pictures.

Sat down and enjoyed the view for a few minutes.

Then snapped a few more.

The Painted Ladies in Alamo Square ~ a must see while in San Francisco.