Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
d
Powell Street
Cable Car Turntable
Hallidie Plaza, Powell St at Market St.
Map
5 C5.
@
many buses.
v
J, K, L, M, N, T.
@
Powell-Mason,
Powell-Hyde.
The Powell-Hyde and the
Powell-Mason cable car lines
are the most spectacular routes
in San Francisco. They start and
end their journeys to Nob Hill,
Chinatown, and Fisherman's
Wharf at the corner of Powell
Street and Market Street. Unlike
the double-ended cable cars on
the California Street line, the
Powell Street cable cars were
built to move in one direction
only - hence the need for a
turntable at every terminus.
After the car's passengers
have disembarked, it is pushed
onto the turntable and rotated
manually by the conductor and
gripman. Prospective customers
for the return journey wait amid
an ever-moving procession of
street musicians, shoppers,
tourists, and office workers.
Rotating a cable car on the Powell Street turntable
for its Neo-Classical rotunda,
can be found on the lower
level floors.
fortified by iron shutters and its
basement vaults impregnable.
The building was one of the few
to survive the 1906 earthquake
and fire
(see pp30-31).
Plans are
under way to convert the Mint
into a museum.
f
Westfield
Shopping Centre
Market St and Powell St.
Map
5 C5.
Te l
512-6776.
@
5, 7, 9, 14, 21, 71.
v
J, K, L, M, N.
Powell-Mason,
Powell-Hyde.
Open
10am-8:30pm
daily (to 7pm Sun).
∑
westfield.com
See Shopping in San Francisco p233.
g
Old United
States Mint
Fifth St and Mission St.
Map
5 C5.
@
14, 14L, 26, 27.
v
J, K, L, M, N, T.
Closed
to the public.
One of San Francisco's three
mints, the Old Mint operated
as a museum from 1973-1994;
its last coins were produced in
1937. Designed in a Classical
style, the building is constructed
of sturdy granite, hence its
nickname, “Granite Lady.” It was
built by A.B. Mullet between
1869 and 1874, its windows
h
San Francisco
Visitor Information
Center
Powell St at Market St under Hallidie
Plaza.
Map
5 B5.
Te l
391-2000.
Te l
391-
2001.
@
many buses. J, K, L, M, N, T.
@
Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde.
Open
9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm
Sat & Sun.
Closed
Sun (Nov-Apr).
7
limited.
∑
onlyinsanfrancisco.com
Shoppers are carried upward
on semi-spiral escalators
through this mall, which
consists of a soaring, central
atrium with nine floors of
elegant shops. It is topped
by a dome, 150 ft (45 m)
above the ground floor.
The basement levels
provide
access to
the Powell
Street Station.
Nordstrom's
department
store is on
the top five
levels and
is the mall's
main tenant.
Entrances
to Blooming-
dale's, famed
Inquire here for information
on tours of the city and
surrounding areas, festivals,
special events, restaurants,
accommodations, nightlife,
sightseeing, and shopping.
Maps and a wide range of
brochures are available in
English and other languages,
while a multilingual staff is on
hand to answer any questions.
You can make inquiries by
telephone, or use their 24-hour
information recording.
The impregnable “Granite Lady” Old Mint
