Thursday 16th September
I wanted to learn more about San Francisco's cablecar system and the place to go is the Cablecar Barn & Museum, so I drove directly to a completely different part of town, parked up, and walked a few blocks to completely the wrong place. It turns out that there were two number 2s on the map in my guidebook, one indicating the museum and one indicating the second building in some office complex. A shame considering I had otherwise perfectly navigated to the wrong place.
I went back to my car, a feat requiring skill and patience in itself because of the confusing layout of the parking garage and its cunningly hidden stairwells, and drove to a car park closer to the museum. Once parked again I walked up Washington Street through Chinatown. San Francisco's is the most Chinese Chinatown I've been to. Within a block or two I felt I'd been transported to another continent, the street bustled and everywhere were shop signs in Chinese script and all the people were speaking Chinese. And then suddenly I was back in San Francisco again and standing outside the museum.
It's not just a museum, it's also the place from where the four cablecar lines are powered. The cables, the longest of which is for the California Street line at over 20,000 feet, run in continuous loops from the cablecar barn to the end of their respective lines and back. They are driven by huge wheels attached to powerful electric motors. It was fascinating to see in action. From the motor the cables run almost the full lenghth of the barn to wheels that are moved back to keep the tension as the cables sretch over their lifetimes. You can see all this from the viewing gallery, and plaques and displays explain how the cables are replaced and spliced, how the cablecars grip the cable, and some of the history of the system.
It is even possible to see underground where more wheels guide the cables around a street intersection. I learnt a lot but I still have questions. How the city go from having nine separate private cablecar operating companies to the single municipal operator? Presumably the companies went out of business as cars and buses made the system unprofitable. It's certainly true that the city was going to close down the system before the people voted to keep it open.
I'm also still left wondering how the cablecars go downhill. Do they just control their speed with wheel brakes, or do they grip the cable and put energy back into the system at the same time? Once I'd had my fill of cablecar knowlege, I got a fantastic ham and brie sandwich from the cafe across the street, and walked back through chinatown to my car.
I drove across town to Baker Beach. There is a great view along the beach to the Golden Gate Bridge, so I found a spot to relax and read for a couple of hours. Before saying goodbye to San Francisco I wanted to have a look at Twin Peaks, a pair of hills overlooking the city. In another heroic feat of navigation I made my way there in under half an hour despite rush hour traffic, incomplete map coverage and "No Left Turn" signs appearing whenever I wanted to turn left.
The view was well worth seeing. The city looks somehow smaller from up there -- you can take in the bay, the financial district with its high rise buildings and the surrounding penisnula with a single sweep of the eye. I must return to this place at night some time time, it would be interesting to see the city light up.
I was a bit sad to be driving out of San Francisco. It's a city that's easy to like; it's not intimidating like some big cities. And just a few days ago I was looking forward to coming here and humming that song... I'll look forward to returning here.
I drove South on the 101, but it soon became clear that the traffic was slowing me down. I'd intended to reach Monterey tonight, but rather than drive all night I decided that a comfy evening in front of the TV was required. I checked in to a Marriott hotel in Morgan Hill just South of San Jose. It's nice to be in a proper hotel after several days in hostels. I relaxed and watched Joey, Will and Grace, The Apprentice and Seinfeld. I should get plenty of sleep and be all full of energy for my long journey tomorrow.