Brisbane, QLD


Friday, July 20, 2012

CRAZY ABOUT CABLE CARS

When we were in San Francisco we fell in love with the cable car system of transport. We had to queue for a while to get on at the top of Hyde St where there is a turn table.
Men physically turn the car around on this turn table. 

We were standing on the back veranda and we watched the bay and Alcatraz disappear as we climbed one of the many steep hills in SFO.

We alighted at the top of the famous Lombard St., which has many switchback curves to negotiate before getting to the next block at the bottom. See below. You can also see Coit tower on the hill. A memorial to Lillie Coit, who left her fortune to the city for beautification.
 Looking up Lombard St from the bottom.The street is open for one way traffic. This stretch of road has been used in many movies.

We hopped on the next cable car, which rumbled over the hill and proceeded to the Cable Car Barn & Museum.

 In the Cable Car Barn we could see how the cables were hauled underground of the streets where the cable cars run. It is an amazing system. The cables are continuously moving under the streets. The driver uses a lever to grab onto the cable to haul the tram along. He releases the cable when he wants to stop. The names of the streets are written above the relevant cables. After the war the powers to be wanted to disband the cable cars for more modern buses but public pressure allowed some cable cars to remain. They are still used by locals as well as thousands of tourists.

 After touring the museum we climbed aboard another cable car to go back to our hotel. Bill chose to hang on the outside. I was hoping he would still be there when we got to the bottom of the steep hill.

We passed Grant St the centre of China Town.


Then clattered on down the hill towards the Bay Bridge and our hotel. It was great fun.


28 comments:

  1. I liked San Francisco very much and was glad with the cable car to get us up in the city. It is very high there. Nice pictures of the museum.

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  2. All I will add the streets of SFO are steep. I can't imagine too many visitors being game/able to walk the streets, from the CBD up/down and vv. to Fisherman's Wharf. The Cable cars are quite a great access for visitors and no doubt the locals.
    How come you were not able to do the "Lombard St" street walk? I must admit I did, BUT I was quite younger, however I was puffing at the top and then back to catch the next Cable Car. I wonder how much homes on this street would cost??? Maybe the American viewers might be of assistance????
    I suppose a Calfornian fresh peach or a bowl of strawberries would have been most refreshing after a walk up that street of great movie fame?
    As always an informative post for all those to see.
    Colin (HB)

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    1. I did walk down to the bottom to get the photograph and then I walked up again to get on the cable car.

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  3. i remember the barbra streisand movie 'what's up doc' which featured that one way street. very picturesque and very funny movie

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  4. Oh I am looking forward to my trip next year - even more so after seeing more of your great photos.

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  5. Lovely photos a description. Another great adventure whilst you were there.

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  6. I've always wanted to visit San Francisco, so I've really enjoyed your photos and your words! It looks like a fabulous spot to visit.

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  7. We did this tour too ! at that time I didn't do any pictures but I filmed everything, now I want to see that video again. I always remember when they turned the tram around at the top !

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  8. A great tour of San fran definitely a place I need to visit.

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  9. Your photos take me back to our visit. Jez was tiny then, just a toddler. He's going to be 18 on Sunday and I can't believe it!

    Beautiful photos Diane - you must wish the USA was a lot closer to AUs.

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  10. Great pictures, when I read your title, I thought about San Francisco and yes. We really enjoyed our stay there.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  11. I remember riding a cable car in San Francisco many years ago when Ben and I were dating and we went up there with our best friends.

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  12. I've always thought it would be wonderful to ride those cable cars. I'm not sure I'll ever make it to San Francisco, so I really appreciate your marvelous pictures and interesting description of the cars.

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  13. Oh! I'd like to ride one of those cable cars ... wonderful views.

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  14. Hi Diane, I've been on that popular street/hill in San Fran---but it was when I was about 8 yrs. old. Mom, Dad and I were in CA for my older brother's wedding.... I don't remember too much about it--but we did go there!!!!

    New Orleans (where I lived for about 4 years in the '80's) uses cable cars---but like so many things there, they call them by a different name---streetcars! My two younger sons rode the streetcar to school when they were teens.... Kinda neat, huh?
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  15. Loved the visit to San Francisco and the great photos of the cable cars. Good for Bill! I alway liked to ride on the outside... it made it so much easier to get on and off. Some of the cable car operators didn't always leave enough time for me to get off if I sat inside. I miss San Francisco on those beautiful days... but it can get cold and wet and miserable, but that doesn't last too long. So glad you are having such a wonderful time!

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  16. To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars..

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  17. I've not seen that zig zag street before. It looks great. When Melbourne had cable trams, and I suppose it was done all over the world, kids used string or similar and tied tin cans to the cable and watched them being dragged along the street by the cable.

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  18. I love the cable cars, too! So much fun, especially the turn table.

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  19. I've always wanted to ride in one of the cable cars there. I've been to San Francisco a few times but never long enough to see all that I wanted to see. I would love to live on Lombard Street. Have driven down it once but it was ages ago.

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  20. There really is quite a bit to love about this city, isn't there?

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  21. Lovely Dianne,it makes want to visit.

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  22. My husband went to this city. Nice to see how wonderful it looks like

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  23. Ooo yes. I can just imagine what fun this would have been. I love that second shot, the one with the view of Alcatraz.

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  24. Fabulous pics. Gregg and I were there on one of our last trips out west and these bring back a lot of lovely memories.

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  25. Gorgeous pictures....the first time we went to SF, our then 6-yo jumped on a cable car before the rest of us could get on. Motherly panic ensued. (I pictured him coming back up to meet us while we were coming down ...). Happy ending obviously, but a memory we won't forget. (It was actually a lot more fun on subsequent trips when we went back without the kids. It's really not a great city for children.)

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  26. You took wonderful photos, Diane! The weather looked nice and sunny while you were there. The cable cars are so much fun--I always try to ride all three lines when I visit SF. Did you also get a chance to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge?

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  27. Just in the back of my mind I had a memory that you visited Lombard Street and I have put your post to use for tomorrow.

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