Time travel
With their colourful designs and distinctive ringing of bells, San Francisco’s cable cars are an iconic mainstay of the cityscape.
Millions of tourists and locals zoom through the famously hilly streets on board these unique vehicles, catching a car from Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf, or to California Street. Part of Muni Metro, it is the largest manually operated cable car system in the world.
The idea for San Fran’s cable cars originated in 1869 from Scottish inventor Andrew Smith Hallidie. He was concerned about the welfare of the horses in traditional horse-drawn carriages transporting passengers across wet, slippery streets. After securing financial backing for his cable-car idea, the system began in 1873.
Revolutionising urban transportation as a practical means of traversing steep slopes, these early cable cars played a crucial role in the growth and development of San Francisco. Over the years the cable cars have survived earthquakes and fires, thanks to their innovative engineering.
The cars take two people to operate: a conductor and a gripman, who — among other tasks — handles a 365lb device that grabs the cable as it rattles under the track at 9.5mph.
“Gripping” a cable car is a demanding physical task. Fannie Mae Barnes, who had been a conductor for six years, was 52 when she took Muni’s 25-day grip course in late 1997. She became the first female to operate a cable car grip in 1998.
San Fran is celebrating Muni’s oldest surviving cable car line, with a special $5 all-day pass for the California line until the end of 2023, available via Munimobile.
There is also a $13 all-day, all-muni pass, giving unlimited access to all Muni services, including all three cable car lines, the F-line historic streetcars on Market Street and the waterfront, plus all Muni Metro trains and all Muni bus lines.
sfmta.com
Special passports for teddy bears carried by young children on Jet2 flights are now available at any of the airline’s 10 UK bases. The furry flyers’ VIP document is helping kids get a sense of independence and an understanding about the process of travelling abroad. jet2.com