Survival Guide - San Francisco and Northern California - page 277

Sightseeing by Cable Car
The city's hills present no problem to
cable cars. They tackle precipitous
slopes effortlessly, passing sights and
areas popular with tourists. The most
thrilling descent is the final stretch of
the Powell-Hyde line.

Hyde Street
turntable

Powell and Bay
turntable

Key

California line

Powell-Hyde line

Lombard Street

Powell-Mason line

Turntable/crossing

Terminus

Cable Car Barn

Union Bank
of California

Nob Hill
crossing California and Van

Ness terminus

Grace Cathedral

California and
Market terminus

Union
Square

All cable car lines cross at Nob Hill

Powell Street turntable

of a cable car in white, or by
a yellow line painted on the
road. On weekends, the stops
at Powell and Market, and at
Fisherman's Wharf, are typically
very crowded - be prepared to
wait at least 30 minutes.

Traveling Safely in
a Cable Car
If there is not a crowd, you
can choose whether to sit or
stand inside, sit outside on a
bench or stand on an end.
More adventurous passengers
may prefer to hang onto a
pole while standing on a
siderunning board.
Wherever you find a place,
be sure to hold on tight. Do
not to get in the way of the
gripman; he needs a lot of
room to operate the grip lever.
This off-limits area is marked
by yellow lines on the floor.
Use caution while on board.
Passing other cable cars is
exciting, but be extremely
careful not to lean out too far
because they get very close to
one another.Be vigilant when

Passengers riding on a cable car's running board

DIRECTORY
Useful Numbers
Cable Car Barn
1201 Mason St.
Map 5 B3.
Museum Tel [phone].
Muni Information
Tel [phone].
∑ sfmta.com
Cable car information, fares,
Muni Passports.

boarding or getting off a car.
Often cable cars stop at an
intersection so that you have
to get on or off between the
car and other vehicles, and
this can be dangerous. All
passengers must get off at the
end of the line. If you wish to
make a return trip, you must
wait for the car to be turned
around on the turntable, or
switched to the return line,
before boarding again.