Cable Car
Is there anything more typically San Francisco than the cable car? There is nothing with a longer tradition in this city. Nowadays, those of us who live here don't ride them; we leave that for tourists who wait in long lines on Market Street to take their picture on the famous cable bar.
For many years, the cable car was THE way to get around the city. Obviously, advances in transportation made it obsolete, but luckily, unlike other cities, San Francisco has been able to conserve its history and turn it into a living memory.
In addition to riding a cable car, you can get to know this part of San Francisco history by visiting the Cable Car Museum and learn first hand about this symbol of our city's history. The museum opened in 1974, and is run by a non-proft called the Friends of the Cable Car Museum. Here we can see some of the oldest cable cars in existence, even older than the ones running now.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the museum is the area where we see the system of wheels, chains, pulleys and a thousand mechanisms that allow the cable cars to run in the first place. It seems like it's easier to send a rocket into orbit than run the cable car system!
Oh, and the entry is free!
Cable Car Museum
1201 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 474-1887
Schedule:
10am-6pm
April 1st-September 30th
10am-5pm
October 1st-March 31st
Open 7 days a week, year round (except New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas).
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