Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
30
traveling with a bab y, an easy-to-fold
umbrella stroller will be the most practical
piece of equipment. I f y ou can manage
with a bab y front pack or backpack, y ou'll
be ev en better off . Toddlers ar e another
issue. Since you really will need a stroller at
some point during a walk, y ou'll hav e to
practice r eleasing the closur e and folding
the str oller while holding the child at the
same time. This is ev en mor e fun if y ou
have mor e than one small child to deal
during off-peak hours. A gr eat idea is to
wake the family early and ride the cable
car to a br eakfast spot. O r take the cable
car back to y our hotel after dinner . Alter-
natively, you could head for the California
Street cars, which are less popular because
the route isn't as exciting, although the hill
is quite steep . F or mor e about the cable
cars, see chapter 6.
BART
Please note:
Bay Ar ea R apid Transit
(BART;
&
415/989-2278
) is not M uni.
Both systems shar e the same undergr ound
stations downtown, but the similarities end
there. BART tickets are not valid on Muni
and vice v ersa. The only M uni pass usable
on BAR T is an adult $45 monthly F ast
Pass, and only at cer tain BAR T stations.
The sleek silv er-and-blue BAR T trains
travel along the M arket S treet corridor ,
then make stops on M ission S treet (16th
and 24th sts.), in G len Park, and south in
Colma and the San Francisco International
Airport. Other lines head to Berkeley, Oak-
land, and other East B ay cities. P urchase
BART tickets from machines inside the sta-
tions. Fare to and fr om any point within
San F rancisco is $1.50; outside the city ,
fares range up to $5.65. F or schedules and
route information, call the number abo ve
or log on to the w ebsite
www.bart.gov
.
By Car
Driving in S an Francisco can be fr ustrat-
ing, to say the least. I f you are unfamiliar
with the territor y and y our copilot has
with.
Cable Cars
No visit to S an Francisco would be com-
plete without a ride on one of the cable
cars. Three cable car r outes trav erse the
downtown ar ea. The most scenic is the
Powell-Hyde line, star ting off at P owell
and Market and ending at the turnaround
by Ghirardelli Square. Next is the Powell-
Mason line, which also begins at P owell
and M arket and then meanders thr ough
North B each, ending on the east side of
Fisherman's Wharf. The third is the Cali-
fornia Street line that leav es from Market
and California, cr ests at N ob H ill, and
ends abr uptly at Van N ess A venue. The
queues to boar d the P owell Street cars at
the turnar ounds, at either end, can be
daunting; but if you don't board there, you
may not get on. Tickets ar e $5 one-way
(free for kids under 5 and only $1 befor e
7am and after 9pm), making those M uni
passes look even better.
Cable cars run from 6am to 1:30am. To
avoid standing in line, plan on trav
2
eling
Tips
Feeding the Meters
Most city parking meters take nickels, dimes, and quarters, and have time limits
of anywhere from 15 minutes to 4 hours. Meters that are green on top usually
have 15- to 30-minute time limits. Even if you come back and put more quarters
in the meter, overstaying the time limit can still be cause f or a ticket. Check your
tires to make sure a meter maid has not swiped them with chalk (usually in
bright orange or blue)—they do so to see if your car has moved.
