Last year I had the chance to go to San Francisco for the first time.  It was my first time seeing the west coast and I found the city to be so much different than Chicago.  The steep hills were fascinating to me, and I kept trying to figure out how people lived when they had to climb a hill or steps like these to get to their homes every day.  Granted, I am accustomed to living without a car and probably most of the SF residents who live on such a steep hill have some other mode of transportation than their own two feet, but still, there must be some occasions where they just want to go out for a walk or a bike ride.

These particular steps were just a small segment of the steps we climbed to get to Coit Tower and while it was exhausting, the climb was one of the highlights of the trip for me.  The lush green plants and the secret little yards that bordered the steps made me feel like I was climbing up through a magical world.

As a writer, I have never spent much time on describing setting, but I would like to write a story inspired by San Francisco.  I want to think about who lives by these steps and how their life must be different than my own.  What challenges do they face?  Do they love it?  Or do they long for something else?  Maybe there really is some magic here. . .