Even though “Full House” only filmed one episode actually in SF, the show really drove home the setting with patriarch Danny’s job as a host of the morning show “Wake Up San Francisco” and the cheeky background during the opening credits. But this is also pretty misleading; the filming makes it look like the house is situated between the famous “Painted Ladies” of Alamo Square. Quite the contrary: the facade lives on a sleepy block a 10-minute drive away.
There’s a lot to do in San Francisco between driving the Golden Gate Bridge, touring Alcatraz and hitching a ride on a cable car. But no matter what, people will fit the “Full House” house into their itinerary for nostalgia purposes.
Unfortunately, the nostalgia is pretty much shattered immediately after getting there.
Despite there literally being a Snapchat filter for the house at 1709 Broderick Street announcing its fame, stepping up to the portico shatters the vision you had in your head of DJ, Stephanie and Michelle running around with good ol’ Comet chasing after them.
The reality is that...it’s a house. An empty house with a “for sale” sign taking up the entire first-floor bay window and a laminated notice to keep quiet and respect the actual non-fictional neighbors that are probably past miffed at the Lyfts constantly driving up and down their block.
Oh, yeah, because you will need some kind of cab to get there -- San Fran is big, and if you’re lucky to catch public transit, great! But everything is uphill. Everything.
It’s a gorgeous house, don’t get me wrong -- totally reminiscent of the ‘90s classic with the detailed architecture that San Francisco does so well. It's just that you can hardly enjoy it when there are tons of other people vying to take a seat on the steps. You’ll also have to trust these same people to take your photo and the results are...this.
The house provided a funny two minutes when I played the "Full House" theme song in the background of a ridiculous video full of fake, ironic smiles, but ultimately I probably could have done without making the trek to Broderick Street.
A better use of my time ended up being laying in the grass in Alamo Square, where the actual Painted Ladies exist.
The view from the top of the hill is lovely, and if you’re coming equipped with a picnic, you won’t be disappointed. I don’t know what ABC was thinking when they didn’t just film the front of one of these houses for the Tanners' abode, but that’s neither here nor there.
The fact is, this is just another example of filming locations not being as exciting as you think they’ll be. It’s like meeting Cinderella at Disney World in the morning and having the same woman pose as Aurora that same afternoon. Or sitting on the steps of the Met and not sharing a yogurt with Blair Waldorf. Or throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain and not meeting a hot popstar. Ruins the magic.