Streets of San Francisco, 2007: Streetcars

My wife and I spent a few days in San Francisco in June 2007. My first (and last) visit to San Francisco was in August of 1969. Of course I had my movie camera along and the attraction for me then was the Cable Cars and Streetcars. Well, mostly. It was interesting to see what has changed and what hasn't changed. One thing that I remember was the sirens. Always sirens. That hasn't changed. The streetcar fleet is much more colorful and interesting than it was 38 years ago. On the other hand, the cable cars aren't as much fun as I remember them -- too crowded and too regulated. In 1969 the trolley cars and trolley busses complemented each other. Now the classic lines of the PCC cars clash with the burnished boxy busses. Mini-skirts, a phenomenon of the 1960's, have gone around and come back. In 1969 there were hippies. Now there are guys in kilts, skateboarders, and adults riding bicycles right down Market Street (in 1969 you could hardly walk down Market for all the BART construction). And those famous hills that provided the excuse for the cable cars, in the space of only 38 years, have defied all the laws of geology by turning into mountains. What hasn't changed is that I really enjoyed the time I spent there, then and now. Can't imagine why it took me so many years to get back there for my second visit. Think I won't wait so long for the next one.