Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
freighters are exhilarating when seen from above, and the regular tourist sightsee-
ing boats bob helplessly for an amusing moment as they turn around in the teem-
ing waters; sometimes, you can hear their passengers shout in alarm.
If you're visiting the bridge on Friday or over the weekend, you may be able to
tour historic Fort Point beneath the southern anchor; see p. 122 for information
on that.
One of the unmistakable symbols of San Francisco is, of course, the
cable
cars
555
9
, which climb Nob Hill and Russian Hill and traverse town from
Fisherman's Wharf to Union Square. There's nothing like them in the world any-
more. Although the cars really don't go many places in town, every tourist finds
it necessary to ride these open-air cars at least once, and as well they should,
because feeling the cool Bay Area on your face as you rumble along is one of the
world's great travel experiences. One-way rides cost $5 and they come with a
ticket stub that serves as a souvenir postcard.
Some people feel the cable cars are touristy, but I don't think anyone should
confuse “popular with tourists” with “tourist trap.” These vehicles are not tourist
re-creations but are legit down to the last axle, and the fact they've been around
as long as they have makes them more authentic, not less. The cars, which were
able to climb hills that regular streetcars couldn't, have plied the streets since
1873, when the technology was fresh, and the last complete routes were built in
1889. In the 20th century, most of the existing lines were pulled out and con-
verted to buses, and the lines that exist now were cobbled together from the few
surviving stretches. Most American cities had their own systems at one point in
time, but progress changed things, and today buses have replaced all of them.
There are two main lines, one of which splits into two branches. From Powell
and Union Square, the Powell-Hyde cars roll through Nob Hill and Russian Hill,
the Powell-Mason cars go a block west of Chinatown and then through North
Beach, and the California line, which doesn't split, does a straight shot to Van
Ness Avenue from just west of the Embarcadero. The Powell-line endpoints are
Pedal over the Metal
For getting an up-close look at the bridge, I recommend
Bike and Roll
(
%
866/
736-8224; www.bikeandroll.com; $7/hr. or $27/day)
which rents cycles for the
specific purpose of crossing the bridge. There's a location at 899 Columbus at
Lombard between North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf. From there, you'll enjoy a
mostly flat ride to the Golden Gate Bridge. You get helmets, of course, as well as
locks, maps, and route suggestions, a rear rack and a handlebar bag, and bikes in
excellent condition (the inventory is refreshed annually). The company often
grants 10% discounts for booking ahead online. Of course, you don't actually have
to get beside the bridge to admire it; it's viewable from nearly everywhere along
the Marina and Fisherman's Wharf waterfronts, from Alcatraz, and even from many
residential hilltops in Pacific Heights. But you have to admit that being able to
say you've crossed it is a lot more special, and getting there purely on foot is too
cumbersome for most people.
