A Trip Book
San Francisco
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A little enamel cable car keychain from a gift shop, painted red and gold with 'Powell & Hyde Sts.' on the roofline — a pocket-sized souvenir of the ride.
San Francisco's cable cars, running since 1873, are the last manually operated cable car system in the world.
Lombard Street
The famous crooked block of Lombard Street switchbacked down Russian Hill in eight tight turns, hydrangeas spilling over the curves.
Lombard's brick-paved switchbacks were built in 1922 to ease the hill's original 27% grade for cars.
Alcatraz Island
From the boat, the old cellhouse and lighthouse sat right at the top of the rock, ringed by steep cliffs and gulls.
The federal penitentiary on Alcatraz operated for just 29 years before closing in 1963.
Fisherman's Wharf
The big ship's-wheel sign marking Fisherman's Wharf, crowds already spilling across Jefferson Street toward the crab stands.
Fisherman's Wharf grew up around a real fishing fleet of Italian immigrants in the late 1800s.
Alamo Square
The postcard row of Victorian 'Painted Ladies' lined up in front of the downtown skyline, exactly like every photo of this corner ever taken.
These Alamo Square Victorians were built in the 1890s and are prized for surviving the 1906 earthquake and fire.
Golden Gate Bridge
The bridge's towers rose straight up out of the strait, that famous International Orange paint bright against the hills and blue water.
Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and was, for 27 years, the longest suspension bridge span in the world.
The End
Fog, hills, and a red bridge — a city best seen one switchback at a time.