Visiting San Francisco and not riding one of its cable cars would be like going to Las Vegas and not gambling, going to New York and not seeing the Statue of Liberty, or going to Arizona and not seeing the Grand Canyon. It is a quintessential symbol of the city and it has endured the centuries. To date, there are only a few lines left. The touristy Powell Street line takes you to Fisherman's Wharf while the California line goes up and down California Street passing by Chinatown and Ritzy Nob Hill. Mind you, the fare is not cheap. It costs $6 a each way as of this writing.

Think about getting the one day, three day, or seven day pass to save some money should you think you'll be riding the cable car a lot. Actually, such passes, if I am not mistaken, are good for the local buses, subway, and trams too.