As free as a bird
Among the city’s novelties are various steps and stairways. Some are so steep you have to smile, particularly those on Russian Hill and even more so on Telegraph Hill around Coit Tower. It’s hard to imagine having to climb these steps every day. The truth is that city residents use these staircases more for exercise than getting to and fro; meanwhile, tourists come to see the surrounding lush gardens, the quaint cottages, the spectacular views, and the occasional art pieces.
The two most dramatic stairways ascend from Sansome Street, just off the Embarcadero at Levi’s Plaza, and wind up to Coit Tower. Each has more than 400 steps. One is the Greenwich Steps—not to be confused with the Greenwich Steps on Russian Hill. The other is the Filbert Steps, which, in addition to other sights and sounds, is home to a famous flock of wild parrots.
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Address Greenwich Steps & Filbert Steps, San Francisco, CA, 94133 | Public Transport Streetcar: F-Line (Embarcadero & Greenwich St stop) | Tip The steps are easily accessible from Levi’s plaza, a great little picnic spot just next to Levi Strauss & Company’s world headquarters.
There are at least two groups of parrots in the city. One moves around Golden Gate Park; the other roosts along Napier Lane, just off the Filbert steps. The Filbert flock is comprised of perhaps 30 to 40 cherry-headed conures from South America. How they got to San Francisco isn’t clear. According to one account, a crazy old pet store owner simply opened all the birdcages and windows one day.
The Filbert flock was captured in Judy Irving’s documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. The 2003 film profiles a homeless musician named Mark Bittner, who lived in the neighborhood and spent five years interacting with the birds. He begins his narrative: “It wasn’t a plan. It just happened. I hadn’t expected it to go this far …” What he hadn’t anticipated was the strength of his bond as he began to reject that urban notion that animals somehow can’t experience pain. In fact, says Bittner, “they’re afraid of injury, they’re afraid of death, they’re afraid of being alone. Like us.”
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