Cable car 19 on Hyde Street, with Alcatraz across the baySan Francisco cable cars
- Best time
- Early morning, before the queue
- Getting there
- Start at the Powell & Market turntable, or skip its queue on California Street
Why it’s in the log
The first cable car ran up Clay Street in 1873, and by 1890 San Francisco had 23 lines. Three survive — two from near Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, and one along California Street — and they make up the last manually operated cable car system in the world, gripping a cable that runs under the street. The system is a National Historic Landmark.
Most riders are visitors, and the wait to board can reach two hours. Walk a few stops up the line and board there, or take the quieter California Street line. The Powell–Hyde line ends by the Buena Vista, if you want an Irish coffee at the bottom.
Also logged in San Francisco
All of San Francisco →
The Buena Vista
San Francisco, United StatesThe San Francisco café that brought Irish coffee to America in 1952 — after two men nearly passed out working out the recipe.
Yamo
San Francisco, United StatesA four-stool, cash-only Burmese counter in the Mission, built around one order of rice noodles.
