On my recent weekend in San Francisco, I went on a cable car for the first time in about 15 years…read more So, we were staying at the Intercontinental Hotel down by Union Square, and the cable car station is located right around the corner, about 2 blocks away. That is one of the starting points for the cable car, and we were trying to get to Chinatown. When we arrived on a Saturday morning around 10am, there was a line. It did take us about 30 to 45 minutes to get onto a cable car, but they were moving steadily, and picking up passengers. Once we got on board, however, we noticed that the line had gotten even longer behind us, so we were glad we came when we did. We took the car uphill on the Powell/Hyde line, and told the engineer that we were trying to get to Chinatown. It was pretty much a straight shot uphill on Powell, and then we exited on Jackson Street, which was exactly where we wanted to be in the Chinatown neighborhood. Because we had bought a day long pass, we were able to use it throughout the day. We also had downloaded the Muni mobile app to see where the location of the cable cars were. I was excited to sit on the outside seat, and see the cars going by, other cable cars, and folks on the street waving hello. If you are nervous about the outside-facing cars they do have indoor seating as well. This iconic San Francisco tourist attraction, very unique, cannot be done anywhere else in the country. I highly recommend going on it.

Love this ride through SF, up and down hills, through Chinatown, Union Square…read more Great experience, fun people watching and seeing the neighborhoods & SF Victorian homes. . Lots to see, the cable car is all windows, seating and standing and hanging on from the steps.... It's a wonderful historic beloved part of SF. We used our clipper cards - (for seniors its HALF OFF) but for everyone, if you have one, you don't have to stand in the ticket line. Then, Get in the line around the cable car to board. Music playing, shade, benches too.

The Powell/Mason Cable Car turnaround was an absolutely outstanding experience! Watching the manual…read moreturnaround is a San Francisco staple, but the ride itself was the real star. The operator was incredibly kind and friendly, making the trip even more special by letting me ring the bell for my birthday! It was such a unique, personal touch that I'll never forget. The ride up and down the steep hills offers some of the best views in the city and a cool, vintage breeze that you just can't get anywhere else. If you're looking for an iconic and memorable way to see San Fran, this is it. High quality service and a total blast!

This is the better of the two lines in my opinion. Especially if you get on from Fisherman's Wharf…read more I highly recommend not getting on at the Union Square end as it is infinitely busier than the other end. Especially if you get there in the morning. This route hits some great hills with excellent views of the city & bay as it goes up the hills as well as stops at Chinatown and Lombard Street. Just know that there are not on/off privileges. My only 'complaint' is that the employees here really take their time. but that's not exclusive to this line. No one working here appears to be in a rush at all to get cars on their way. You can especially see this down at the Fisherman's Wharf end where there is often a line of cars waiting to be turned around, loaded, & sent back on their way.

5 stars for a fun AND functional ride :) don't get me wrong, I do love a good cardio burn up…read moreCalifornia but sometimes I like to treat myself to a cable car ride instead. Hot tip: sit on the outside of the back of the car to enjoy a stunning look back down California with bridge views. This view is iconic and many pics/painting display this awesome view (I have one a painting in my living room!) You really can't go wrong with any seat but do make sure you get off at your correct stop to minimize hill walking if that is your goal.

Nice way to see the city. Highly recommend!…read more Nostalgic ride, with breathtaking views of the city atop the hills of San Francisco

Powell street was decked out for NBA All Star and I was one of the lucky few that got to be able to…read morecheck out some cool events. There is going to be a foot locker and shoe palace opening on the Powell street locations which will be really good for the city because there is a major bounce back happening. I truly believe that the city is on an upward trend which is really good for the beautiful city of San Francisco. A lot of NBA Players and Legends were walking around the area and how truly lucky we are to live in a beautiful city like San Francisco so let's please take care of it!

It May Not Be Too Practical Now, But It Sure Is Fun And A Vision Of Our Future Selves We Should…read moreHave Pursued Ardently More Than 100 Years Ago. SITREP I love cable cars. They are fun. Great to ride. Great to catch on Powell Street. And great to ride up the hills of San Francisco. For me, it's a time-trip up & down memory lane. It's sad that this costs $6 as a single-rate trip, rather than as a free community-sponsored endeavor to convince people of the benefits of mass transit. Both Muni and BART our outgrowths of these modest cable car-beginnings. But in addition, it's critical to drive home to the citizenry with these tangible object-lessons when comparing the vast amounts of money that were poured into fossil fuels and cars, and how little that accomplished for the community good by comparison. SAD SAD HISTORY As such, cable cars on this line remain a vestige of a bygone era when we, as a society, were on the "right track" (har har, I love puns) to creating a transportation infrastructure that was both useful and did not have a huge carbon footprint such as the one created by cars & gad that are imperiling our lives today. However, the very tragic greedy collusion of oil magnates, coal barons, and car company overlords at the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries, ensured that for at least for a full century (and until well into another century) that fossil fuels, such as gas and coal, would continue to drive our cars and trains. And not only was it greedy, but it has damaged our planet. If we had remained an enlightened American society - instead of a greedy capitalist one - we would not be facing be the level of global warming we are today. And perhaps we would not have implicitly set a bar for industrialization that the Chinese and Indian sub-continent feel the need to duplicate now, furthering endangering our planet. MORE THAN A TOY OR TOURIST TRAP So when I see the beloved cable cars today, I think a lot of "what if?". What if the cable car had led to the earlier development a bullet trains? What if the cable car tracking mechanisms had been advanced faster, from chains, cables and tracks, to high-speed levitation? What if the trains of some future Sci-Fi dream were in fact the trains of NOW, a hundred years earlier, because we had actually engineered them to be? THE LOWDOWN If not for a greedy hiccup in time, this would have been the path we would have firmly remained upon.

There are two cable car lines - the Powell-Mason & the Powell-Hyde. The Powell-Hyde is the more…read morescenic one as it goes right by Lombard St aka Crooked St. As locals we rarely take the cable car. However we happened to be in the area, and the weather was gorgeous. We looked at the line, and decided the line was short enough for us to wait & take a ride on the cable car to take us downtown from the Ghirardelli Aquatic Park area. The line moved very slow as most people wanted to ride outside. When we got close enough the folks in line said we could cut in front of them if we wanted to ride inside. So we did. A couple blocks up Hyde St the cable car conductor announced that the cable car was only going as far as Chinatown due to the parade later on this evening. We got off at Chinatown and walked on Grant Av to downtown. Then took the underground Muni Metro home.

A much better start point for riding the cable car than Union. Especially if you can get here in…read morethe morning while most tourists are either getting ready for the day or eating breakfast. The waits are much shorter here and you get such a better view of how the workers take the cars and turn them around for their return visit up the hills of San Francisco. There is only really 1 thing that is keeping this from being a 5 star review: the workers. They're all very nice and helpful (especially if you have little kids), however, they have absolutely no sense of urgency. They really take their time. And you can tell it's not because there is a hold up on the other end of the line. It's just them being in no rush to get the cars back along their way. But this is an experience you are going to have no matter where you want to get on the car. So, better to do it on an area that isn't also going to be impacted by incredibly long lines of riders.

Being in San Francisco, you've gotta do at least one cable car ride -- whether just for the…read moreexperience or as a quick little "tour" down Market Street from Powell to Union Square. It's $9 each way though -- still trying to figure out why some "locals" could hop on at some stops -- without showing their MTR-pass.

The Powell & Hyde Cable Car Turnaround is one of those classic San Francisco sights that never…read morereally gets old. It is located at the end of the Powell-Hyde line near Fisherman's Wharf and is one of the three places where the cable cars are manually turned around for their return trip. It's fun watching the operators physically push and rotate the cable car on the turntable. It may be a simple process, but it is fascinating to watch. It might be because it's something you don't see in many places anymore. There's often a small crowd gathered around, so one can take a few minutes to watch, take photos, or even line up to ride the next car. The Powell-Hyde line itself is one of the most scenic routes in the city, passing landmarks like Lombard Street and offering great views of the bay along the way. It's a part of one of the last manually operated cable car systems in the world and is a part of San Francisco's history. I watched it as a teenager for the first time, and many times as an adult, and I still find it fascinating, a fun "San Francisco" experience.

Horrible experience…read more I have been living in San Francisco for 10 years and never had the desire to ride this before, mostly because I had never heard anything good about it. Unfortunately, my experience confirmed everything I had heard. My child loves trains and buses, so we decided to give it a try to make him happy. We waited for two hours, and then out of nowhere they announced it was delayed. When someone asked how long the delay would be, the staff said, "I don't know." It was extremely frustrating -- isn't it their job to know what's going on? If they had been clear from the beginning, we would have left, but we thought it might only be a 10-minute delay. Almost 40 minutes later, they said it was closed and they didn't know when it would reopen. They mentioned there was a "free bus" around the corner, but people were fighting just to get on it because it was the only one they provided. Just a reminder: each ticket costs $9, yet no one explained anything or offered help. Unfortunately, I didn't learn my lesson. Wanting to make my child happy, we tried again another day. I honestly hope my child never asks to ride it again. After waiting another hour, just as we were about to get on, the man taking tickets told me -- in a very rude way -- that he would not accept my ticket and told me to move so others could get in. When I asked why and what he meant, he just repeated, "I'm not taking your ticket. Move." No explanation, no help, just rudeness. My husband told him we would buy another ticket, and even then he refused to let us on -- despite the car staying there for another 10 minutes. Completely unacceptable service and an awful experience overall.

Back on the cable car ..it's $9 for a single ride ..most days and until 11 pm…read more Fun delightful SF past time

The Powell/Mason Cable Car Turnaround is at Taylor and Bay Streets. It's the northern end of one of…read moreSan Francisco's famous cable car lines. Since these cars can't go in reverse, they use a wooden turntable to turn the nine-ton cars around 180 degrees so they can head back to Union Square. You can actually watch the gripmen and conductors push the cars by hand, which is pretty cool. For years, when I first moved to San Francisco, I used to catch the cable car here every morning and ride it all the way to the very end at Market Street, then walk to work. I did that just because it was fun, not because it made my commute faster or shorter! Over time, I got to know the cable car operators who worked the early shifts and many neighbors who also took the cable car to work, and we often chatted and shared a few laughs while waiting. We also enjoyed live performances from street musicians. It is a fun ride, especially for visitors and their families who take the cable car as part of their San Francisco visit experience.

Great tourist experience riding the cable car. They are beautiful original works of engineering…read moreart. The vistas and buildings along the way between Fishermans wharf and market are gorgeous. Only downside is side is the long long wait in queue. They took ages to load every act. I am sure there is a valid reason for the delays between departures ( the cars were there waiting). But it was a pain to wait. Perhaps a sign saying the cars go every 15 mins might have helped.

Traveling by ferry is such a wondrous experience…read more So traveling by ferry to the island of Tiburon is the only way to travel there! The Golden Gate Ferry ride offers spacious quarters, amazing views, and good snack and beverage choices. There are cozy chairs inside or comfortable chairs on either outside deck (deck levels dependent on which ferry boat you get). There are cell phone charging stations by several seats if you bring your charging chord. And staff and riders alike always seem overjoyed to be sharing the experience with you. I take this ferry several times a month sometimes during the week and weekend to visit family. This is truly a unique and quintessential Bay Area experience worth having.

PREFACE- this is a rewrite for a review I wrote the other day but posted it to the wrong Ferry…read moreCompany whose owner was so polite and courteous to let me knnow. Thank you Margaret of Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry!!! Here is my story: 5th Star for the gorgeous view sailing in the San Francisco Bay. Uber'd over to Tiburon from Inner Sunset. Our intent was to ferry back to SFO then leisurely muni or foot mobile our way back to Inner Sunset. The ferry ride was well organized but you need to know a few things and they are: Be sure you have your Clipper card. If you don't you will need to scan the upc code from the sign at the entrance and load your card for at least $10 OR ELSE, you will not be on that ride (There are attendants at the entrance with their scanner for your Clipper Card) Soft drinks, snacks and adult beer and wine are available for purchase on the 2nd level. Lower level, 2nd level, 3rd level provide seating. 2nd and 33rd level have outside deck seating. Restroom facilities available on the lower and 2nd level. Best part? San Francisco blessed me with a perfect weather and blue sky day so my sail back to SFO was ABSOLUTELY perfect. I'll hand it to the ferry system at large! They got the system down pact in summary? and you want to cruse/sail the Bay? Ferry is the way to go ($8/ one way per adulty)

Since growing up in San Francisco & Oakland, CA, I have always liked the Powell BART station due to…read moreconvenience in downtown San Francisco & Market St. attractions. Today, I still like stopping here whenever I visit the city. It's not cheap riding from San Jose/Milpitas to this station $10 one way now. I can still remember old times when riding only cost a few bucks. Powell BART station connects riders to all sorts of trains/muni destinations. Public restrooms are always available and staffs do their jobs well. You will see lots of foreign visitors and often hear people speaking in French, Spanish, German, etc. This is one of San Francisco's best stop. It's unfortunate that SF Westfield Shopping Center lost its businesses due to high crimes, high cost of doing business here, and other city regulations. This BART station really had it all years ago, especially when it was easily accessible after stopping here and walking distance to the food court and retail stores. I think Powell Station vibes are still positive for commuters. Advertisements are everywhere. This BART station still feels safe in public and it does feel like home of San Francisco center. I'm still glad that their tunnels and walkways are spacious and can accommodate major transportation for event days. JPMorgan Chase ads are highly visible.

I've chosen to live car-free because of the city's convenience, but BART is making that choice…read moredifficult lately. To be fair, the fares are decent and when it works, it's the best way to get around. However, the consistency just isn't there. Almost every day there is a new 'issue' or delay. The stations are consistently dirty, and broken escalators have become the norm rather than the exception. What's most frustrating, though, is the customer service. I've approached station agents for help only to feel like I'm 'interrupting' their personal phone time or chats with colleagues. A little professional courtesy would go a long way. I want to keep supporting public transit, but the overall experience needs to improve.