On paper, Lulu Alley is three blocks long, going up to Cresta Vista Drive. This is the only improved block. The next block up has an incredibly steep footpath, and the block between Burlwood and Cresta Vista is completely impassable.

The stairs were built in the 1940s, when all of the nearby houses on Melrose and Los Palmos were built.

The feel of these stairs has changed dramatically in the past few years as new fences have been built alongside multiple adjacent properties, right up to the sides of the stairway. There used to be more hedges along the property lines, and the back yard of 495 Los Palmos was even completely open to the stairs.