Survival Guide - San Francisco and Northern California - page 273

Walking in San Francisco
San Francisco is easy to explore
on foot. The main tourist areas
are all within 15 to 20 minutes
of one another, and although
the hills, particularly Nob Hill
(see pp103-105) and Telegraph
Hill (see pp90-93) , can be a
struggle, the views from the
top make them well worth the
strenuous climb.
At traffic lights, electronic
signs for pedestrians show an
illuminated white human
figure when it is okay to go;
a countdown in flashing red
lights tells you how long you
have to cross before the light
changes to the red hand “Don't
Walk” signal. Jaywalking
(crossing in the middle of a
block, or using a crosswalk
when the “Don't Walk” signal
is showing) can result in a
minimum $50 fine.
Vehicles are driven on the
right-hand side of the road in
the US. Always look both
ways before you cross. Take
care at traffic lights - vehicles
are allowed to turn right
on a red light if the way
is clear.

Motorcycles and Mopeds
A helmet, a valid US or inter-
national motorcycle license,
a deposit, and prior riding
experience are required when
hiring motorcycles or mopeds.
Parking for these vehicles is
either deeply discounted or
free, but they are not allowed
on the highways or bridges.

Bicycles, equipment, repairs,
and tours are available from
Bay City Bike and Blazing
Saddles . They rent bikes for
around $32 a day or $220 a
week. Blazing Saddles also rents
electric bikes at its Hyde Street
and North Point locations.

Tours and Other Ways to
Get Around
GoCar Tours rents out small
vehicles that come equipped
with recorded GPS tours of the
city. Extranomical Tours
offers affordable small
group tours, while
Cable Car Charters
runs guided tours
on motorized
cable cars. Visitors
can go on half- or
full-day bus tours
and themed walking
tours , or take a Segway tour or
a helicopter tour . To get away
from the city, try taking the
Wine Country Tour Shuttle
out to Napa Valley. Pedicabs
and horse-drawn carriages can
be found near Fisherman's
Wharf (see pp80-81) .

Cycling
Cycling is very popular in San
Francisco. There are many
bicycle lanes and all
buses are equipped to
carry bikes strapped
to the outside.
Bikes can also be
taken on the light-
rail Muni cars and
on BART, although
they are not allowed
at rush hour (7-9am
and 4-6pm Mon-Fri). There are
two marked scenic bicycle
routes. One goes from Golden
Gate Park (see pp144-59) south
to Lake Merced; the other starts
at the southern end of Golden
Gate Bridge (see pp64-7) and
crosses to Marin County.

A GoCar with GPS

DIRECTORY

Green Travel
Green Cab
Te l 626-GREEN.

Blazing Saddles
1095 Columbus Ave,
2715 Hyde St,
and 550 North Point.
Map 5 A2, 5 A1, and 5 A1.
Te l 202-8888.
City Bike Hotline
Tel 311.
Tours
Bus Tours: Gray Line
of San Francisco
Pier 43½ & Transbay Term.
Map 5 B1 & 6 D4.
Also at: Transbay Terminal.
Tel [phone].
∑ sanfrancisco
sightseeing.com
SF Comprehensive
Shuttle Tours
Te l (1) [phone].
Cable Car Charters
and Ride the Ducks:
Tel [phone].
∑ cablecarcharters.
com

GoCar Tours:
Te l 441-5695.
∑ gocartours.com
Helicopter Tours:
SF Helicopter Tours
Te l (1) [phone].
∑ sfhelicopters.com
Horse and Carriage
Tours: Hackney Horse
& Carriage
Pier 41. Tel [phone].
Real SF Tour: Wine
Bars and Cable Cars
Te l (1) (888) 9-SF-TOUR.
∑ therealsftour.com
Segway Tours:
City Segway Tours
505 Beach St. Map 3 C2.
Te l 409-0672.
∑ citysegwaytours.com
Walking Tours: All
About Chinatown
660 California St.
Map 5 C4. Tel [phone].
∑ allaboutchinatown.
com

Cruisin' the Castro
Tours
Te l 255-1821.
∑ cruisinthecastro.
com
Extranomical Tours
501 Bay St.
Map 5 A1.
Te l 357-0700.
Heritage Walks
2007 Franklin St.
Map 4 E3.
Te l 441-3000.
∑ sfheritage.org
San Francisco Parks
Alliance
451 Hayes St.
Map 9 B1.
Te l 621-3260.
∑ sfparksalliance.org
Wine Tours: Wine
Country Tour Shuttle
Te l 513-5400
or (1) [phone].
∑ winecountrytour
shuttle.com

Planning Your
Journey
511
Tel 511.
∑ 511.org
Transport Agency
∑ sfmta.com

Motorcycle and
moped rental
Eagle Rider Rentals
488 8th St.
Map 11 A2.
Te l 503-1900.

Bicycle Rental
Bay City Bike
2661 Taylor St.
Map 5 A1.
Te l 346-2453.