Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING AROUND
SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco occupies a fairly compact area,
and many of its most famous sights are only
a short walk from one another. The public
transportation system is very efficient and
easy to use. Bus routes crisscross the city and
pass by many attractions. Muni Metro
streetcars and BART lines serve downtown
neighborhoods, as well as the suburbs and
outlying areas. Most visitors make time to
ride on one of the city's famous cable cars.
Taxis can be hard to find, particularly outside
the major tourist areas. Passenger ferries and
boats run regular trips east and north across
San Francisco Bay.
electric, as are the buses - hence
the maze of power lines
throughout the city.
Planning Your Journey
The public transit system is best
avoided at rush hour (7-9am
and 4-7pm Mon-Fri). Ask your
hotel concierge for directions or
use the Trip Planner on the
511
website. There are several ticket
options. Single tickets can be
bought for most services. A
Muni Passport
(see p282)
gives
unlimited rides for one, three or
seven days on light-rail cars,
streetcars, buses, and cable cars.
The electronic pre-pay Clipper
card is accepted on Muni and
BART. It deducts the exact fare
each time you use it. Contact
the
Transport Agency
for
more information.
San Francisco's fleet of Green Cabs, using hybrid or electric cars
Green Travel
As well as boasting a reliable,
clean, and safe public trans-
portation system, San Francisco
is easily explored on foot. There
are also many cycle paths.
The Bay Area has more hybrid
cars than any other region in the
US. Half of the city's taxi fleet
consists of “green” cabs that are
either hybrid or electric vehicles,
or run on biofuel. Streetcars run
down Market Street all the way
to the waterfront. They are all
Street Layout and
Numbering
Most of San Francisco's streets
are based on a grid system.
Market Street crosses the city
from southwest to northeast,
creating the northern and
southern sections. With few
exceptions, each block is
designated a number by
hundreds, starting at zero. So,
the first block from Market
Street has addresses between
1 and 99; the second block has
addresses between 100 and
199; and so on. House numbers
on east-west streets increase as
they move west from San
Francisco Bay. Numbers on
north-south streets increase
going north of Market Street,
but also as they move south of
Market Street. When asking for
an address, make sure you also
get the name of the nearest
cross street and the
neighborhood of your
destination.
Local residents refer to the
numerically named avenues in
the Richmond District as “The
Avenues.” Numerically named
streets begin on the south
side of Market Street, in the
city center, and end in the
Mission District. The Street
Finder
(see pp290-300)
provides
a comprehensive map with
details of the city.
Numbers
increase
Numbers
increase
Numbers increase
Numbers
increase
Street numbering increases north and south of Market Street and west from
San Francisco Bay
