Cable
Cars
949 Presidio Ave
San Francisco, CA 94115-3315
Phone: (415) 923-6162
Hours:
Daily 6am-12am
Payment: Cash
|
The
Facts:
If you're in the Bay Area, you've got to ride the cable cars
at least once. They may not be the most practical way to get
around, but cable cars are inextricably linked with the
mythology of the city. Besides, the 9,600,000 tourists who
ride the cars annually can't be wrong. Avoid the hour-plus
wait at Powell and Market or the wharf. It's much better to
happen upon a cable car as you walk along its route than to
endure the long lines of other tourists, sidewalk preachers,
screamers and thieves.
The
Background:
The system has been in place since 1873, when inventor
Andrew Hallidie and a group of colleagues tested the first
car in the early morning hours. As the car shuddered down
the darkened streets, a curious resident leaned out his
window and saluted the industrious Hallidie by tossing a
dried-up bouquet of flowers to the street.
|
