CALIFORNIA > SAN FRANCISCO > Cable Cars  

by James Irwin 

Other than the Golden Gate Bridge, it's hard to think of anything that says "San Francisco" better than the sight and sound of a cable car clawing its way up a ridiculously steep hill, 'halfway to the stars.'

For tourists and locals alike, the urge to hop aboard, grab a pole and ride to the end of the line is irresistible -- but that brings up the question: "Which line?"

Before the Great Quake of 1906, cable car tracks ran all over the city. Now, only three routes -- all of them downtown -- remain active.

The most utilitarian of the three is the California line. It features a challenging climb and descent but it's just a straight run along California Street.

You'll have a lot more fun on either of the two Powell Street routes, with the more spectacular being the Powell-Hyde Street line.

Starting at Market Street, both routes feature a climb past the hotels and shops of Union Square, up and over Nob Hill, and a nice squeal-inducing turn onto Jackson Street at the edge of Chinatown.

At the next intersection (Mason St.) the Powell/Mason line makes a hard right turn and heads downhill through North Beach to Fisherman's Wharf.

Powell-Hyde riders keep on climbing. Their big payoff comes soon enough, with an exhilarating descent toward the bay and the tall ship Balclutha on the Hyde Street Pier.

At Maritime Park, the Powell-Hyde cars are shunted onto a turntable, where they're spun around and reloaded with passengers.

This is the most scenic cable car turnaround in the city. Pull out your camera and you can get San Francisco's two most famous icons -- the Golden Gate Bridge and a cable car -- in the same picture.

LINKS:
Cable Car Museum
S.F. Muni Route Maps
Cable Car Lore

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CALIFORNIA > SAN FRANCISCO > GOLDEN GATE PARK > Conservatory of Flowers

by James Irwin

For gardeners and admirers of Victorian architecture, the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park is San Francisco's Taj Mahal.

First open to the public in 1879, this  wood-and-glass greenhouse -- a monument to botanical art and science -- has endured thanks to several major renovations, the most recent being a $25 million bottom-to-top reconstruction completed in 2003 after the structure was closed to the public for eight years as a result of storm damage suffered in 1995.

Once inside, visitors leave San Francisco's often chill weather behind as they explore exhibits featuring plants native to tropical lowland, highland and aquatic environments.

As soon as you enter you'll see a true survivor directly beneath the dome -- a giant philodendron alive and well since 1883.

This is a paradise for flowers and the photographers who love them but be warned: the near-constant spritzing from mist machines that pump up the humidity in this hothouse means you'll be wiping off your lens frequently.

More than 16,000 glass panes cover the Conservatory and they're painted white to soften the sun on the plants inside.

The Conservatory was purchased in the mid 1870s as a prefabricated kit by the California land baron James Lick, who died before he could do anything with it.

A group of wealthy San Franciscans bought it from Lick's estate and had it assembled in Golden Gate Park where it remains one of the City's beloved landmarks, the subject of countless postcards, and a great location for a picturesque picnic or sedate stroll, a place where time passes slowly and the thrum of the surrounding city is faint, distant and easy to ignore.

LINKS:

Official Site of the Conservatory of Flowers

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