Oakland and San Fran

[Bethers]

http://ontheroadwithbeth.com/blog/2013/ ... francisco/

[BirdbyBird]

I am willing to revisit San Fran anytime! Thanks....

[monik7]

Looks like you had a great day for a wonderful tour of a beautiful city. I get a kick out of the term "trolley." Is that a Midwest term? We've always called them cable cars because their power system uses cables to haul them up the hills and then keep them from racing down on the other side. Glad you had such a good time. Sorry about the Chinese food.
Sandi

[Bethers]

Looks like you had a great day for a wonderful tour of a beautiful city. I get a kick out of the term "trolley." Is that a Midwest term? We've always called them cable cars because their power system uses cables to haul them up the hills and then keep them from racing down on the other side. Glad you had such a good time. Sorry about the Chinese food.
Sandi

No, we didn't take the cable cars - or at least not the regular cable cars. We specifically wanted this historic streetcar - and that's what I should have called it instead of trolley.

http://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/578/

[monik7]

Maybe I'm wrong (I do that) but in your pic where you say it's a view out the front of the "trolley," that appears to be a cable car. The streetcars are electric and have a connection on the roof that goes up to a wire going down the street providing power. The turnaround sequence you showed of the guys pushing it on the turntable is a cable car. It's all semantics anyway and I'm so glad you got to see so much in one day.
Sandi

[Bethers]

Maybe I'm wrong (I do that) but in your pic where you say it's a view out the front of the "trolley," that appears to be a cable car. The streetcars are electric and have a connection on the roof that goes up to a wire going down the street providing power. The turnaround sequence you showed of the guys pushing it on the turntable is a cable car. It's all semantics anyway and I'm so glad you got to see so much in one day.
Sandi

Of course you are right - but my brain can't get around the fact that a cable car doesn't have cables, the streetcar does have cables - confused them all day in SF, and so trolley it is and I'm sticking with it lol ... I do stand corrected though - it is the cable car. And I should have mentioned they are the world's last manually operated cable cars.

[monik7]

Sorry Beth, I'm really not trying to drag this out. The cable cars do have a cable but it's in a groove in the street between the tracks and you really can't see it. But I agree, the names are confusing. Look at it this way - you and Carol got to ride the most famous icon of San Francisco, the cable car. That's why all those other people were standing in line for a ride. It's what all tourists do in San Francisco. Mark that off your bucket list.
Sandi

[Bethers]

Sorry Beth, I'm really not trying to drag this out. The cable cars do have a cable but it's in a groove in the street between the tracks and you really can't see it. But I agree, the names are confusing. Look at it this way - you and Carol got to ride the most famous icon of San Francisco, the cable car. That's why all those other people were standing in line for a ride. It's what all tourists do in San Francisco. Mark that off your bucket list.
Sandi

You're cracking me up. And we rode it three times - just the once from the location with the line. I had commented we should walk to the next pick up - should have - no wait there lol ... the locals know that. We would have either ended up inside or standing ... but would have worked. However, I'm glad I got to watch how it turns around ... I like stuff like that.

And hopefully you and I will get to mark Alcatraz off my bucket list! Anyone else in the area want to join us - Sunday 10/20 - if the govt gets it's act together and it's open again?

[Redwahine]

What a fun day in the Bay Area. I love riding those whatchamacallits that go up and down the hills of SF!! Love the food and smell of the bay!! Glad you had a great day!!

[Bethers]

What a fun day in the Bay Area. I love riding those whatchamacallits that go up and down the hills of SF!! Love the food and smell of the bay!! Glad you had a great day!!

OK, that's it - they are whatchamacallits ... works for me

[snowball]

Made me laugh Chris!!! whatchamacallit...that is what they should call what we have in SLC never can remember! anyway looks like you had a great day in the city Beth...and that is all that is important...thanks for the pictures
sheila

[monik7]

What a fun day in the Bay Area. I love riding those whatchamacallits that go up and down the hills of SF!! Love the food and smell of the bay!! Glad you had a great day!!

I don't know, to me "whatchamacallits" sounds harder to say than "cable car," but to each his own. I get a kick out of how locals establish traditions about names. When Beth put "San Fran" in her post, I realized I hadn't heard that term since I was a flight attendant in the airline industry. I don't think many in northern California outside the airlines use that term. It's usually "San Francisco" or "The City." And don't ever call it "Frisco." You could get in a heap of trouble for that (just kidding). But if you're trying to blend in with the natives, that term will brand you as an outsider/tourist faster than anything.
Sandi

[Redwahine]

What a fun day in the Bay Area. I love riding those whatchamacallits that go up and down the hills of SF!! Love the food and smell of the bay!! Glad you had a great day!!

I don't know, to me "whatchamacallits" sounds harder to say than "cable car," but to each his own. I get a kick out of how locals establish traditions about names. When Beth put "San Fran" in her post, I realized I hadn't heard that term since I was a flight attendant in the airline industry. I don't think many in northern California outside the airlines use that term. It's usually "San Francisco" or "The City." And don't ever call it "Frisco." You could get in a heap of trouble for that (just kidding). But if you're trying to blend in with the natives, that term will brand you as an outsider/tourist faster than anything.
Sandi

Hey Sandi, I was poking fun at the cable car, street car, trolley discussion. As a kama'aina (local) in Hawaii it was so easy to tell locals from tourists by the way they pronounced words and called everyday things. And now I'm the tourist and enjoying it so much!! You should hear the snickers when I ask questions here in Texas after living on a rock in the middle off the pacific for more than half my life! I am naive in so many ways

[Liz]

Great post....loved the ride, no matter what you call it. SF is still definitely on my list. Maybe while I'm west this year.

[monik7]

Hey Sandi, I was poking fun at the cable car, street car, trolley discussion. As a kama'aina (local) in Hawaii it was so easy to tell locals from tourists by the way they pronounced words and called everyday things. And now I'm the tourist and enjoying it so much!! You should hear the snickers when I ask questions here in Texas after living on a rock in the middle off the pacific for more than half my life! I am naive in so many ways

I can hear the loud snickers now if I ever tried to say anything in Texas.
Sandi