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The Painted Ladies: Victorian San Francisco LbNA #56718 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Lost Sailor
Plant date:Dec 10, 2010
Location: Alamo Square
City:San Francisco
County:San Francisco
State:California
Boxes:1
Found by: Kudichan
Last found:May 21, 2015
Status:FFFFFFr
Last edited:Sep 20, 2015
One of San Francisco’s most-photographed locations is the row of “Painted Ladies,” the Victorian houses that border Alamo Square known as Postcard Row. These half-dozen ornate houses, sometimes referred to as the “Six Sisters,” have appeared in countless postcards, movies, and television shows, not to mention innumerable tourist snapshots over the years. Digitized or captured on film, the “ladies” often appear in a picture’s foreground with the Transamerica Pyramid and the rest of San Francisco’s modern skyline as their backdrop.

Located at 712 to 720 Steiner Street across from Alamo Square, all six houses were built between 1892 and 1896 by developer Matthew Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh owned and lived in the 1892 Victorian mansion to the left of the “Six Sisters” at 722 Steiner. The area is filled with lovely Italianate, Stick/Eastlake, Gothic Revival and Queen Anne-style Victorian architecture. Many buildings in the area, like the famous Steiner Street sextet, survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. Take the time to admire the ornate craftsmanship that went into the design and building of the neighborhood’s dwellings—bay windows, “gingerbread” woodwork, and the occasional turret. If Postcard Row looks familiar its probably because you've seen it on postcards in every gift shop in San Francisco or more likely on TV, perhaps in the opening credits of 1980's sitcom Too Close for Comfort or 1990's sitcom Full House. The Painted Ladies have also appeared in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) or The Woman in Red (1984).

Onto the letterbox:

Start your search for the Painted Ladies letterbox at the corner of Hayes and Steiner. Head up the paved path into Alamo Square and venture just a bit on the green to left with Ida B. Wells to your back to get the classic view of the Painted Ladies with the San Francisco skyline in the background. You'll undoubtedly be joined by tourists who flock here to snap photos of this iconic view even though the City is chalk full of wonderful examples of homes built in the Victorian style. Most tourists take off after snapping a few clicks but lets take a short walk through this lovely park on the way to our treasure. Continue up the walkway as its leads you to the public restrooms and a tennis court. When you reach the restrooms, take a short clockwise walk around the building until your return to this path and enjoy the shoe garden along the way! Continue on this paved path until you reach a stone circle. With the green bench at 12 o'clock, take a quick turn up 10:00 to get a glimpse of Happy Happy Dog Dog and another nice view of the City. Return back to our clock and head down the path at 4:20, past the column of ivy on your right and the rock crescent on your left. Continue on your downward stroll on the same path; do not head towards the playground (unless of course, you have children in in tow). Find you way to the stairway where you'll meet the green park marking the main entrance to the park. Now here's where things get fun. From this spot you should be able to spy 720. Make your way there. The challenge here is to use your most stealthy skills to retrieve the treasure you seek, which is hidden to the lower right of small door under flight tucked behind the foliage under a small block of wood. This might best be attempted with a partner in crime, make like a lost tourist reading a map while the other goes for the box. This devious act can be accomplished solo, after all, I planted the box in the middle of the day. But you have to exercise patience unless you want to be forever captured in someone's family photos of their trip to San Francisco!

In good tourist fashion, I found a cute pair of store bought stamps which, truth be told, is why I chose this locale to plant. You'll want to bring your colors for this one. The smaller stamp is meant to be used several times with a different colors. Please re-hide with care and (ha!) discretion! Let's see how long this one last! Please log your finds. Have fun!