San Francisco Cable Car
Riding on a San Francisco Cable Car is the the quintessential San Francisco experience. The views are phenomenal, and the ride up, over and down San Francisco's hills, thrilling. San Francisco Cable Car's Three lines cover just over 10.5 miles, all in the northeast corner of the city, so be prepared to wait to get on this popular form of transportation.
On a cool day, end your ride with a delicious Irish coffee at Buena Vista Cafe at the turnaround near Fisherman's Wharf, at the corner of Hyde and Beach. Curious about how the San Francisco cable car works? San Francisco has the only surviving cable car system run by a moving steel cable in slots in streets. A gripman on the San Francisco cable car pulls a lever that engages a steel grip which clamps onto the moving cable, pulling the car along at a max speed of 91/2 mph. You can see it in action in the Cable Car Museum.
The San Francisco cable car system (not to be confused with the San Francisco trolley bus system) began operation in 1873 and is the oldest cable car system in the world that is still in operation. A visit to San Francisco is not complete until you take a ride on a San Francisco cable car.
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