Kennedy - Top 10 San Francisco 2018

The length of the steel wires used to make the cables of the bridge is enough to circle the earth three times. It is also brilliantly over-engineered and is said to be five times stronger than it needs to be to withstand the winds and tides it endures daily. At the time it was built, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world (it now ranks ninth) and took just over four years to build. About 40 million vehicles cross the bridge annually, streaming across six lanes of traffic, along its 1.7-mile (2.7-km) length. The bridge is equipped with two foghorns, each with a different pitch, and 360-degree flashing red beacons. The bridge has been closed due to high winds only three times in its history.

CABLE CARS

Its impossible not to love these vestiges of another age, as they valiantly make their way up the precipitous hills. Yet they came perilously close to being scrapped in 1947, when a progressive mayor announced it was time for buses to take their place. An outraged citizenry prevailed, and the system was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. In the early 1980s, it underwent a $60 million overhaul. The present service of about 40 cars covers some 10 miles (16 km).

NEED TO KNOW

Cable Car Museum 1201 Mason St at Washington 415 474 1887 www.cablecarmuseum.org Open AprSep: 10am6pm daily; OctMar: 10am5pm daily

• Rather than wait in the long lines at a cable car terminus, do what the locals do and walk up a stop or two, where you can hop on right away for a $6 fee then hold on!
• The $6 fare is for one ride, in one direction, with no transfers. Consider getting a CityPass or a Muni Passport for one day ($17) or longer (for further details see ).