Go West, Southern Girl! Part Two

You can take a Southern Belle out of the South, but be certain that drawl will follow her everywhere! That's one accent we didn't hear from anyone else during our trip.

There is so much to see and do in San Francisco. It's very much geared to the outdoor life, and so beautiful. I wish we'd had more time to take in the sights, but we did what we could with the little time we had. Heck, we even went to the conference that was the reason for our trip!

Have you been on a cable car? Well, we never had, and we were determined to try it out. We just didn't know how you even begin to board one or pay for the ticket. So, we approached 3 ladies that were waiting at a stop. They were locals, and they explained to us that when a car stops, you look for an empty spot and jump on. Then you pay the man when he asks you for your ticket. $5 a ride. Sounded simple enough. So we waited. The car pulled up and it was bursting at the seams with people, but those 3 ladies went toward it, so we did, too. The man said at first that there were 3 spots. We saw the ladies disappear, and began to turn back toward the curb. The man on the car proceeded to yell at us to come back. Guess 3 really translates to 6 somehow. Now, the cars have seats, and they have poles to hold onto. The seats in the front of the car face out to the sides. So, if you get onto the side of the car and hold onto a pole, you are essentially right in the face of the person sitting in the seat. I found myself up close and personal with a lady who only spoke German. It was quite uncomfortable, as both of us were having our personal space invaded and this clanging car was rumbling up the hills with the cold wind blowing over us. But we smiled at one another anyhow.

My fellow travellers found spots on the other side of the car. They stood in the personal space of a local couple. The man told them that they seldom asked pretty girls to pay for a ticket. I had my money in my hand. But the thing about it was that the cable car operator disembarked midway through our ride, and another man took his place. So we were able to stop at Lombard St., the most crooked street ever, and didn't have to pay. I heard the story then from the girls. Being the person that I am, I kept my money securely in my hand. When we got on another car, my co-workers were clearly upset and incredulous when we were asked for our tickets. I dutifully handed my money over. They dug theirs out of their purses, and then they fussed about it for the rest of the trip. The nerve of him to ask them to pay!

I thought it was funny. I didn't say anything, but laughed to myself. The fact that they were so disgusted that they had to actually pay for public transportation wasn't the best part...it was that they were upset that this guy apparently didn't think they were pretty! So I got to hear all their perceived faults as they commiserated. I thought to myself what an odd thing that was, how different we were. I was just thankful that I got that first trip on the house!

The best thing about the cable car was watching them manually turn it on a large wooden turntable at the end of the line, so that it could go in the opposite direction. Everyone has to get off the car for them to turn it. Guess what that means? You get to pay again to ride back the way you just came! Oh, but you can pay $11 and ride all day. Or...you can build your gluteus muscles and try to walk up and down all those hills on your own! Not many fat people, I noticed! There were buses and taxis also, but you just have to experience the sardine effect of the cable car to appreciate it. How they ever actually manage to get to the top of the hills with all those people on board is a feat in itself. How no one manages to get knocked off and killed when two cars pass each other is beyond me.

My best advice if you just have to give it a try...make the attempt to get one of the seats. It's a much safer feeling than standing on the side of the car. And take a shower before you board....and pray that everyone else did the same!