San Francisco Transportation Tips by peteralbert

'Mode': TO
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: SAN FRANCISCO INT'L AIRPORT
BART trains run directly every 15 min. from the International Terminal to downtown San Francisco: 29 min. to Powell Street Station.

Look at the monitors above as the train arrives: some trains head south, AWAY from San Francisco to Millbrae.

If you are flying domestic, you can take the Airtrain shuttle to catch BART. It's free, runs every 3 min., and connects all airport gates to BART. The BART ride from the Airport to Downtown is $4.95. Buy the ticket at the machines outside the station gates.

RIDER TIPS
Before you get to San Francisco, you'll pass through South San Francisco Station. Watch the artwork on the walls of the other side of the station. The murals seem to move as you pass by.

Just before the Daly City Station, you'll rise high on elevated tracks. Look out at the left side of the train. On a clear day, you can see the Pacific Ocean and the rugged hills of Marin County across the Golden Gate, and maybe glimpse ships heading to sea. Look quick, because you'll go back into a subway after Daly City.

OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
From Oakland Airport you can catch the AirBART shuttle for $2.00. Buy the ticket from the machines by the baggage claim. It takes 15-25 min. from the Oakland Airport to the BART Station. The BART ride to Powell Street Station in San Francisco is 25 min., and costs $3.15. Trains run every 8 min. Look at the monitors for trains going to San Francisco.

RIDER TIPS
The Oakland Coliseum just west of the station is the home of the Oakland A's and the Oakland Raiders.

Look to the left for these San Francisco skyline features the Bay: the Transamerica pyramid, the Bay Bridge, and in the distance beyond the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge.

The trains enter a subway through downtown Oakland, come out above ground once more and then dive into the tunnel beneath the Bay . The underwater ride takes about 8 min. at about 80 mph.

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Phone: 510.287.4702
Website: www.bart.gov

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Most tourists want to ride a cable car, and they should: cable cars are a lot of fun. However, most tourists catch the cable cars that go to Fisherman's Wharf on Powell Street. The line for these cars can wrap around the block and take an hour. It can take just as long to come back downtown, too.

As an alternative, catch the California Street Cable Car line at Market and California Streets (just above the Embarcadero BART station). These cable cars are almost never full, and there is seldom any line at all. They don't go to the Wharf, but they do go to Chinatown, Nob Hill, Polk Gulch and end at Van Ness Avenue. To see some grand old Victorians, cross Van Ness and walk a few blocks up California Street. These mansions are among the few in the area that survived the great earthquake and fire of 1906.

If you want to go to the Wharf, you can always catch the F streetcars on Market. They don't go up any hills, but the are charming in their own way and the ride along the Embarcadero is beautiful.

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Phone: 510.287.4702
Website: www.sfmuni.com

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Most tourists want to ride a cable car, and they should: cable cars are a lot of fun. However, most tourists catch the cable cars that go to Fisherman's Wharf on Powell Street. The line for these cars can wrap around the block and take an hour. It can take just as long to come back downtown, too.

As an alternative, catch the California Street Cable Car line at Market and California Streets (just above the Embarcadero BART station). These cable cars are almost never full, and there is seldom any line at all. They don't go to the Wharf, but they do go to Chinatown, Nob Hill, Polk Gulch and end at Van Ness Avenue. To see some grand old Victorians, cross Van Ness and walk a few blocks up California Street. These mansions are among the few in the area that survived the great earthquake and fire of 1906.

If you want to go to the Wharf, you can always catch the F streetcars on Market. They don't go up any hills, but the are charming in their own way and the ride along the Embarcadero is beautiful.

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