The cable car turntable

Stay and watch the turntable for a few minutes. When a cable car pulls in, the gripman and conductor step down, push it by hand and spin it around on this wooden platform until it faces the hills again. It's a scene that has been repeated for well over a century.

1An idea born on a hill

The story goes that Andrew Hallidie, a wire rope manufacturer, came up with the idea after watching a horse-drawn streetcar slide backward down one of these slopes. True or not, his Clay Street line made its first run on August 2, 1873. The system is simple: beneath the street a steel cable runs nonstop at about 15 kilometers per hour (9.5 mph), and the gripman grabs or releases it with a lever to move or stop.

2The women who saved them

At one point there were more than twenty lines. In 1947 the mayor proposed replacing the Powell Street lines with buses. Friedel Klussmann rallied a coalition of women's groups, forced a referendum and won it handily. Three lines survive today, two of which start here, and in 1964 the system was declared a National Historic Landmark.

Practical tip: the line here is usually long, and it can be quicker to board at a stop further up. Check fares and hours on the Muni (SFMTA) website before you go.

West of Powell lies the Tenderloin, a neighborhood with some rough streets: no need for alarm, but stay alert, especially at night.

3What to look for

• The turntable and the crew pushing the car by hand.
• The slot between the rails, where the cable runs.
• The bell, which each gripman rings with a rhythm of their own.