Getting to the Boylan's


The Area


Our address is 11 Panorama Dr,  in the Twin Peaks neighborhood of San Francisco.  We live in a two story dirty blue house.  We're very near a major intersection in which Portola crosses Woodside/O'Shaughnessy. The same road is called Woodside north of Portola and O'Shaughnessy to the south.  Go figure.  For that matter,  Portola turns into Market Street if you follow it downtown.  It's easy to get here, though a little tricky to describe.

We're reasonably close to Sutro Tower, the tallest structure in miles.  The nearest pseudo-landmarks are Tower Market, with a big, red neon sign, and Twin Peaks Gas station, which has a blue and white sign. 

The neighborhood is know to real estate developers as Midtown Terrace, and it is pretty much in the middle of San Francisco.

Getting Here by Subway

Take the subway to the Forest Hills station (K, L, or M lines).  Go upstairs and catch the bus from right in front of the station (not across the street).  36, 44, or 52 will work.  Avoid the 43 unless you're comfortable with local geography and a little extra walking.  Avoid the 89.  Take the bus to Portola (a few stops and a few minutes) and get out.

Walk across Woodside to the corner with Twin Peaks gas station.  (A really dangerous crossing).  Walk past the gas station and make a left as Twin Peaks Blvd goes up.  Follow it up.  First left is Panorama.  We're the 2nd house on the left.  It's about a 5 minute walk, though a steep climb.  If you feel like walking from Forest Hill Station, the total is under 15 minutes.

Other Mass Transit

You can also get to the intersection by bus from other directions.  The 48 comes from Noe Valley and the 24th St BART stop.   The 44 runs from the Glen Park Bart station to the South.

If you take BART from the East Bay, you're best bet is probably to get off at the Civic Center, and switch to SF Muni subway lines K, L or M.  Follow the subway instructions above from there.  This route is pretty fast, whereas the 48 or 44 has to drive around a lot and may not run so frequently.  But I've never timed it!

Driving

There is plenty of parking on Panorama.

If you keep following Market Street out of downtown it eventually becomes Portola, and does lots of twists and turns.  You will come up to the intersection with Woodside with Twin Peaks gas station on your right.  Turn onto Twin Peaks Boulevard immediately before Twin Peaks gas and the intersection.  Follow it up to the right for perhaps 100 yards.  The first left is Panorama, and our house is the second one on the left.

From 280 take the Glen Park exit (the name depends on your direction--see below) and travel up O'Shaughnessy.  You can get there by coming up 280 from the Peninsula, or cut over to 280 from 101 coming up the Peninsula or across from Oakland.

If you are coming from the east, driving toward the Pacific, on 280 take the "Monterey Boulevard" exit, which is about the 2nd exit after 101. As soon as you are off 280 there is a light, at which you should take a hairpin turn to the right. Then get in the left hand lane and follow the road to the left. This intersects with Bosworth. Go left on Bosworth, staying in the left-hand lane. This turns into O'Shaughnessy.

If you come from the west you need to exit (it may be called Bosworth or San Jose, I can't recall) and turn back on local streets to get under the highway. This takes you onto Bosworth. If you stay in the left lane this turns into O'Shaughnessy.

Once you are on O'Shaughnessy, follow it a way along lots of twists and turns. Make a right where O'Shaughnessy intersects Portola, then immediately get in the left lane and make a left when the light changes.  You're on Twin Peaks Boulevard.  Follow it up to the right for perhaps 100 yards.  The first left is Panorama, and our house is the second one on the left.

If you're feeling less adventurous and coming from the Peninsula, you can get off 280 where it hits San Francisco .  As you go north along Highway 1, aka 19th Avenue, you'll pass SF State U and then hit the turn off for Portola (or West Portola).  Follow it for a few miles and you'll pass Tower Market on your right and come to the big intersection.  Stay in the left lane and cross Woodside/O'Shaughnessy.  Get into the left turn lane immediately after you cross the street.  When the left turn light goes green, after an eternity of waiting, you can cross to Twin Peaks Boulevard and proceed as above.

Skydiving and Hang-gliding

We are near the highest point is San Francisco, so we should be easy to pick out.  Since the house is on a hill, you might not want to try for a backyard landing unless you're really good.  Be sure your plane does not collide with Sutro Tower, which can sometimes be hidden in the fog.  High winds and fog are common, particularly at night.

We will turn the porch light on if you plan a night-time landing.  And we'll be really impressed too!

In case of emergency

You can always call us at (415) 550-1062.

Someday, when I almost certainly will have better things to do, I may get a link that takes you directly to an internet mapping service.  Until then, you could enter our address on your own to see a real map (e.g., go to yahoo and click on maps).