A Cable Car's Guide to the Bars, Food Markets, Lodgings, and Restaurants of San Francisco

From the IntroductionOne of the most iconic features of San Francisco is its cable cars. A fixture on its streets since 1873 it has become as much a symbol of the city as its steep hills, its shoreline markets at Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Golden Gate Bridge.Once the backbone of the city’s public transportation system, it has long since been reduced to a tourist magnet which today has only a total of 4.8 route miles in a network consisting of three lines; the California Street Line (opened in 1878), the Powell & Mason Street Line (opened in 1888), and the Powell & Hyde Street Line; the latter of which was assembled from parts of defunct cable car lines in 1958 as the culmination of a community led effort to prevent the loss of all cable car lines in San Francisco.Most guides about the City of San Francisco covers the entire spectrum of its many attractions & landmarks and in the process miss many a gem in the form of local establishments known only by & frequented by residents of the city itself.This is particularly true in regards to the cable cars which are a major attraction in and of themselves. As a result, many a small business in the form of a local bar, restaurant, and market is missed because it is not listed on a standard guide or tourist map.Therefore, the aim of this book is to address that oversight and bring attention to these little known places that help add spice to the life of the City of San Francisco.As such, this guide merely lists the bars, food markets, lodgings, and restaurants (with a few other local businesses thrown in) alongside or in immediate proximity to the cable car routes. It does not offer a critique of any of the places listed.That is to be left to whoever chooses to visit the places listed in the following pages of this book.All of the photographs of some of the listed establishments were taken by the author during his December 2021 visit to San Francisco and the overall quality of some of the pictures varies according to how fast the cable car from which they were taken was moving at the time.It is the author’s hope that this book will prove to be an invaluable resource for those who use it to discover some of San Francisco’s hidden treasures and that in the end it will be of great benefit to both local businesses and tourists alike. Read more