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A Cuba Vacation
Taking time out from the everyday stresses and strains of life to visit an exotic place is something that everyone looks forward to. Cuba, with its notoriety brought upon by its government and the clamp down of the American government on its export...
A Travel Guide for Parents
Family vacations can be one of the best ways to make memories
that will last you and your kids a lifetime. But no matter how
long you are staying at your chosen destination, when traveling
with children the longest part of the trip can be your...
Beautiful BARCELONA - Easy Travel Guide
Beautiful city of Barcelona, capital of Catalonia (a Spain's province), is situated on on the shore of the Mediterranean sea and bordered at either end by 2 river deltas. Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after its capital city Madrid....
Hartman Luggage … A Trunkmaker’s Saga!
Hartman luggage has been around for a while. The advent of the steam engine in the mid 1820s heralded the first wave of mass tourism. Mass organized travel probably began in 1841 when a 33 year old Thomas Cook organized his first rail tour. And...
Hello from Cuba (1) - First Impressions
Tuesday, April 5, 2005, 6:00 pm, Hotel Havana Libre
Thanks to a severe case of the Revenge of Montezuma (or Ricky Ricardo?..,) I am sitting here in the Hotel Havana Libre and I finally get around to create updates from my first 4.5 days here in...
SENSIBLE WAYS OF AVOIDING CAR ACCIDENTS
Most car accidents are caused by impulsive teenage drivers who treat the road as their own race tracks. The simple logical reason for this is that teenagers have lesser driving experience and therefore are most likely to commit traffic violations...
The Smokies Only Dude Ranch
The Smokies Only Dude Ranch Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cabinweb/french/french.html Maybe it was...
Travel tips for visitors to the UK
Travelling to a foreign country can sometimes be daunting, especially if it is your first trip. Travel guides are always very helpful but can sometimes miss the important little tips that will help to smooth your trip to the country of your...
Vacations - Safe Air Travel
"Good afternoon sir. How are you today? I need to see your
boarding pass and ID please. Please remove your outermost
garment. You'll need to take your laptop out of the case and
place it separately in the bin. Sir, I would recommend removal
of...
Yosemite National Park
Introduction
Yosemite National Park is one of the most visited parks in the
U.S.A. It is here where Ansel Adams shot his most famous
photographs after he fell in love with the awe inspiring
landscape, the steep cliffs and the magnificent...
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San Francisco Streetcars - Unsung Historic Transit
You probably already know about the San Francisco Cable Cars. They cost $3.00 a ride and are famous for carrying passengers over the steep Nob and Russian hills. Another historic way to get around the city of San Francisco is to take an F-line streetcar. For $1.25, you'll be riding a vintage electric street car. The F-line streetcars were purchased from cities around the world, so you may get on a car that was originally in service in Milan, Moscow, Philadelphia, New York or Cincinnati.
The electric streetcars first appeared in San Francisco in 1892. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, they began replacing cable cars as San Francisco's main transit system (except for the really steep hills) because cable cars were slower and more difficult to maintain. Cable cars run by grabbing onto a constantly moving cable under the street, while streetcars have an overhead pole that connects to a single power wire.
At one time Market Street had four sets of streetcar tracks (two for the Municipal Railway and two for its privately-owned competitor). The last Market Street streetcar lines were closed in 1982 when the subway system was installed, moving the tracks for the remaining streetcar lines underground and
replacing the historic cars with modern ones. For the next five years, a festival was held that celebrated the historic streetcars. During the festival, the streetcars were run on the old Market Street tracks. The success of the streetcar festival prompted the development of a permanent historic streetcar line and the F-line was permanently reopened in 1995.
The F-line runs from the Castro down Market Street past the San Francisco Civic Center and around the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf. You can hop off at the San Francisco Ferry Building on a Tuesday or Saturday afternoon and enjoy the Farmer's Market. If you're visiting San Francisco, be sure to include an F-line streetcar ride in your itinerary. It's perfect for getting between some of the most common tourist attractions and you'll find the ride worth every nickel of the fare.
About the Author
Jed Clark is a travel writer, photographer and long-time San Francisco resident. For more travel tips and information about San Francisco destinations, attractions and neighborhoods, visit http://www.zurdogo.com/ - a destination guide to San Francisco.
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