Every year at 5:11 a.m. on April 18, San Franciscans gather at Lotta’s Fountain to observe a moment of silence for the 1906 earthquake. Afterward, they come here to watch as firefighters repaint this hydrant gold in honor of its service during the devastating fires that followed. For over a century this has been a meeting point for earthquake survivors, until the last one, William Del Monte, a three-month-old baby during the quake, died in 2016.
Despite a common misconception, this was not the only hydrant that continued to work that morning. The hydrants at Hayes & Buchanan and at Ellis & Van Ness also functioned and are painted silver in gratitude.
Rory Enke, location scout for Jurassic Park and a number of other famous films, says that "when it comes to romance, it’s just one of the best views of San Francisco.", which is why you'll see this street corner in ‘Just Like Heaven,’ ‘Sweet November,’ ‘Devs’ and ‘Chance.’ You may have also seen Dirty Harry running to the phone booth that used to be at this corner
Use the button below to get directions there, and then pick one of the nearby locations from the list at the bottom of the page. If none of them strike your fancy try changing the drop-down to "All Locations".