You need to ride a world famous
San Francisco cable car but you want to get the most
bang for your five-buck (one way) ride. Don't just passively sit there or
you'll feel ripped off when the short (about twenty minutes) ride ends. You
need some insider information. Position is everything when stepping into the
cable car fray.
You want to be in the front of the cable car and for Maximum
Fun you want to be hanging onto a pole while standing on the running board.
This is the best spot on San
Francisco's cable cars and sure beats being cooped up inside
where you won't see anything. Just make sure to scoot your boot when passing
other cable cars and traffic, you don't want to turn yourself into road-pizza
because your caboose got clipped by a delivery truck. Keep listening to the
cable car's lyrics because in the cable car fray - things can get pretty
wild...
San Francisco cable cars
run along three different routes
roughly every ten minutes. The two main lines, Powell/Hyde and Powell/ Mason,
start off at the busy intersection of Powell and Market and vaguely make their
way towards the popular destination of
San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. The other San
Francisco cable car route is the California/Van Ness line which starts at
California and Market and continues on until Van Ness. The Powell/Hyde line
actually ends up close to Ghiradelli Square where you can shop or eat (check
out Ana Mandara, a Vietnamese restaurant that is owned by Don Johnson and
Cheech Marin).
Along the way you can exit the cable car at
Lombard Street,
famous for being "The world's crookedest street." If you aren't going to
Lombard Street then get your camera ready because at the top of this hill
(Hyde and Lombard) you are treated to an unobstructed view of
San Francisco's Alcatraz Island.
Across the street from the end of this line (at Hyde and Beach) is The Buena
Vista Cafe, where legend has it that the Irish Coffee was born. If you don't
feel like shopping at Ghiradelli then you can visit the San Francisco Maritime
Museum, the Hyde Street Pier, or just relax by the water and watch the boats
go by.
The other cable car line is the California/Van Ness
line. This cable car rides through the hills of the Financial District and
hits the top of Nob Hill where you'll find luxury hotels and nightclubs with
some of the most stunning views of the city. Go up to the 19th Floor of the
InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel
to the Top of the Mark and sip a martini while listening to some cool jazz.
The cable car then makes its way down the hill to Van Ness Street where it
stops and goes back the other direction. There is no turnaround for this line
because the cable car has a grip at both ends of the car.
If you're lucky enough to be visiting during the month
of July then you won't want to miss the annual cable car bell ringing
contests. The contests are held in Union Square and draws thousands of
spectators, both locals and visitors. Some of the grip men are extremely good
at what they do and the applause that they receive can be thunderous with
approval. Grab a hot dog and make a day of it, the event draws celebrities and
local dignitaries like the Mayor of San Francisco so you know you'll be in for
a wild time.
The cable cars begin operating around 6:00 in the
morning and continue until about 12:30 at night. While there is a printed
schedule available from MUNI the cable cars generally run about every 10
minutes. As of this writing the fare is $5.00 and all fares are one way. If
you anticipate using the cable cars more than once in a day you should get a
day pass which is $11.00.
Cable Cars Tricks - San Francisco
By: Drew McKinney /
Copyright SFTRAVEL LLC
