 | San Francisco SF MUNI Reviews | Tips 11 - 20 of 92 |  |
 | |  |  | SF MUNI: SF Convention & Visitors Bureau | Tip Rating:    |  |  | |  |
Visit here before you come: sfvisitor.org Tons of free maps, transportation advice on how to get to Muir Woods, how to catch a ferry to Sausalito or Tiburon, and for guides to the week's events. Extremely helpful experts. When the Powell-Hyde Cable Car comes to the 'end of the line' at Powell & Market, walk down to the Plaza for the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visitors Information Center, 900 Market Street, Lower Level, Hallidie Plaza (near the cable car turn-around). Telephone (415)391-2000. The Plaza takes its name from the Scotsman Andrew Hallidie, who was the orginal designer of the cable car. Pick up a map of the MUNI bus routes; spend some time with the experts planning out the best way to get to places like Golden Gate Park, Legion of Honor Museum and the Cliff House. To save money, ask about all-day MUNI passes. At the visitors bureau (see below) you can buy a weekly CityPass for municipal transportaion, tickets for cable cars, the Blue and Gold Fleet bay cruise, admission to the Museum of Modern Art, the Exploratorium, the Legion of Honor and the California Academy of Sciences and Steinhart Aquarium. From here you can walk to beautiful Union Square only a few blocks away. Forget renting a car. San Francisco is compact enough to get to the good stuff by foot, MUNI bus, cable car or taxi. Leave a Comment Theme: Other
|
 | |  |
| | | | SF MUNI: F Line (Historic Trolleys) | Tip Rating: | | | | |
A few years ago, MUNI thought it would be fun to pull out some of its' vintage trolley cars to run up and down Market Street on holiday weekends. It proved to be so popular that they made it permanent, and the vintage trolleys run the F line everyday. They operate from Castro & Market, all the way down Market to the Ferry Building, and then turn up the Embarcadero, passing Pier 39 on the way to Fisherman's Wharf. Note that these are NOT Cable Cars - they are electrified trains. But many if them are from the 40s and 50s (and before) and they will have plaques on them stating their city of origin. They are a really cool bit of history, and, while I wouldn't suggest you go out of your way to ride one, if you're going this way anyway you might as well take the classy route. They're no more expensive than the bus, and tend to have fewer bums riding them (for some reason). My favorites are the orange ones from Milan (see photo). They are some of the oldest - dating back to 1895. They have gorgeous wood interiors and signs and advertisements in Italian. IMPORTANT NOTE: I wouldn't recommend taking the F trolleys - especially to Fisherman's Wharf - if you are at all pressed for time. The cars are slow anyway, but add to that hordes of tourists asking the driver directions and trying to come up with exact change, and your trip can slow to a snail's pace. NEWS FLASH: The Market Street Railway - which maintains the classic streetcars - has just opened its own museum! It's free, fun, and right down by the Ferry Building. Read about it here! Leave a Comment Theme: Subway/MetroWebsite: http://www.streetcar.org
|
| | |
| | | | SF MUNI: MUNI in a nutshell | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Though San Franciscans love to complain about it, MUNI is generally an excellent way to get around. MUNI is in charge of the buses, metro, and cable cars (which charge separately). BART is a separate entity. Buy a MUNI map! It's about $3.00 and is probably the best single map of the city - containing most tourist sites and how to get to them. Fares for buses/metro are $1.50 (exact change only), which includes an unlimited transfer that is good for at least 90 min. There are a variety of 1-7 day passes, and some multi-attraction cards let you ride the bus for free. If you want to take a cable car ride make sure it's included (some passes aren't good on cable cars - some will only get you a discount). Try metro stations and the visitors' center - don't ask the drivers! Food and drink are not allowed but EVERYONE brings coffee on the bus. Smoking is punishable by death. Muni's metro system is only one line - going from Embarcadero down to Van Ness along Market, and then branching off like a hydra to take commuters to outlying areas. Since most tourist places are north - and uphill - from Market Street, the Metro is of only limited use. If you're staying in the Union Square area and hitting the main tourist destinations, it's unlikely you'll ride the Metro at all. Getting around SF means you'll be taking the bus. Sorry. Some routes have limited stops to speed up the ride - they always have green placards and the letter 'L' after the number. They generally run during commute hours. It's always a good idea to ask the driver how close the bus stops to your destination. It's common for the bus to speed away from your stop without opening the back door to let everyone off. Simply yell "back door" and they'll let you out. As with all bus systems, the riff-raff sit in the back... try to sit in the front. Crazy people talking to themselves are common and generally won't bother you. If a person is genuinely threatening, move to the front, tell the driver (so that they can call the police), and DO NOT GET OFF THE BUS! Leave a Comment Theme: BusWebsite: http:www.sfmuni.org
|
| | |
| | | | SF MUNI: ride the cable car to the... | Tip Rating: | | | | |
ride the cable car to the Wharf and ride the Trolley back to market Street----------- THE F-LINE ROUTE The F-Market & Wharves historic streetcar line links America's most visited attraction, San Francisco’s Fisherman's Wharf, with the City's Downtown, its historic Civic Center, and vibrant Castro District. The five-mile route runs from the heart of Fisherman's Wharf, where the fishing fleet ties up, past the popular Pier 39, then skirts the base of Telegraph Hill along the waterfront boulevard known as The Embarcadero, passing numerous historic piers and sweeping vistas of San Francisco Bay. At the foot of Market Street, the F-line reaches the 1898 Ferry Building, a National Historic Landmark. Before the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges were built in the late 1930s, this was the second busiest transit terminal in the world (behind London’s Charing Cross). Ferryboats from many points across San Francisco Bay were met by a phalanx of streetcars operated by both the publicly owned Municipal Railway and its private competitor, Market Street Railway Company, from whom our non-profit organization takes its name. These two transit titans ran their trolleys on adjacent tracks out Market Street, making a total of four tracks on that grand boulevard. The din of the old trolleys rumbling along Market was known as 'The Roar of the Four. From the Ferry Building, the F-line jogs around a public plaza, then joins the historic rail corridor of Market Street, which has had continuous rail service since 1860, starting with steam trains, then horse cars, then cable cars, then streetcars, and now, both surface streetcars and Muni Metro light rail vehicles in the subway below. Headed out Market Street, the F-line passes the Embarcadero Center shopping area, the Financial District, rapidly becoming a nerve center of America’s new 'dot-com' economy, the Union Square shopping area, and the Powell Street cable car turntable, where riders may return to the Wharf area on the only remaining system of its kind in the world. Continuing west, the F-line next skirts the famed Beaux Arts Civic Center complex, including the gloriously restored 1915 City Hall, arguably the finest municipal building in America, before entering an area of interesting antique shops and restaurants just beyond Van Ness Avenue. Then the F-line climbs a hill to Duboce Avenue, where Market Street Railway's volunteer restoration operation is located, in the shadow of the looming U.S. Mint. . At this point, the F-line enters the area once known as Eureka Valley, but today called 'the Castro.' The line terminates at the three-way intersection of 17th, Castro, and Market Streets, the heart of one of the most famous gay communities in the world, and home to many interesting shops and restaurants. Depending on traffic conditions, a one-way trip the length of the line takes about 45 minutes. - - - - Fares for the F-line historic streetcars are the same as Muni's basic fares, as follows: Adults: $1.00 each Youths ages 5-17: 35 cents each Children under 5: Free Discount: (Seniors 65+, Disabled): 35 cents each Muni Passports, sold for varying numbers of days, are valid for unlimited rides on all Muni vehicles, including cable cars and historic streetcars, during the period of validity. A one-day Passport is $6.00; three-day is $9.00, seven-day is $15.00. Additionally, Muni offers one-week Fast Passes for $9.00. These allow full access to the F-line and other Muni bus and streetcar services. However, you must pay an additional $1.00 for each cable car ride you take using the one-week Fast Pass. The most convenient location for F-line riders to purchase Passports is the Muni booth next to the cable car turntable at Powell and Market. They are also available at the two cable car turntables near Fisherman's Wharf, at Aquatic Park (Hyde and Beach Streets) and Bay and Taylor Streets. ......... THANKS!! to the Market Street Railway (http://www.streetcar.org) for all or the information Leave a Comment Theme: Other
|
| | |
San Francisco prides itself on its density, a fact that has also given rise to congestion problems on its relativly narrow, hilly streets. Like the great European cities it emulates in physical character, however, San Francisco has developed an efficient and extensive public transportation network utilising rail, buses, trolleybuses (buses using overhead electric wires), streetcars, ferries, and, of course, the famous cable cars. The main agency of concern is the San Francisco Municipal Railway, known locally as MUNI, operating the cable cars, buses, and trolleybuses within the city of San Francisco. It also runs several light rail lines (distinguised by letter) on surface routes radiating from the Duboce Triangle area, where they merge into a tunnel under Market Street. These light rail lines are known as MUNI Metro. One Metro line emerges from the foot of Market Street near the Ferry Building and serves the southern portion of Embarcadero, the waterfront boulevard, past the new PacBell Ballpark to the CalTrain station. MUNI Metro is primarily useful for visiting areas away from th central (northeastern) portion of the city, specifically to the south and west. Apart from MUNI Metro, the F Market line runs historic streetcars purchased from around the world on a surface line along Market Street between the Castro District and the Ferry Building, and then along the northern portion of The Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf. Use of any portion of the MUNI system to any location cost $1 (excluding cable cars) and you will recieve a transfer ticket good for a certain number of hours that day. Note the ticket does not apply to cable cars. For more information on the cable cars, see the cable car section above. Because of the traffic and parking situation in San Francisco and the unfamiliarity with the hilly and sometimes dangerous trrain, I recommend that for one's own safety and lack of frustration, the traveller to San Francisco thoroughlly utilise the public transportation options available to him or her. Leave a Comment Theme: TrainWebsite: http://www.transitinfo.org
|
| | |
More Sponsored Links for San Francisco |
 |
 |
Search Hotels
Find the best room rates |
|
 |
|
San Francisco
on February 11, 2006
on November 9, 2002
on August 1, 2007
on January 26, 2006
on March 22, 2006
on August 24, 2002
on June 17, 2003
on July 17, 2007
