Attention Holiday shoppers and anyone looking to add a scenic cable car ride to their holiday weekend activities: the Hyde Street line is currently out of order until further notice due to an electrical problem. more ›

Sorry Tourists and Nob Hill historic transit fans: Bay City News reports the Powell Street Cable Car lines are currently out of commission until further notice. Muni officials spotted a problem with one of the cables this morning and will be running shuttles along the route in the meantime. Sure, a shuttle bus isn't nearly as much fun to ride as a rolling historic landmark, but it's better than getting caught on a runaway, explosive cable car: more ›

Remember that time the mayor wanted to do away with San Francisco's Cable Cars? Of course you don't, it was in the 1940s. Here now, the Tenderloin Geographic Society adds historical perspective to the city's transit and fiscal woes by revisiting the tenue of Mayor Roger D. Lapham, whose plan to eliminate the rolling monuments to human ingenuity won him the honor of also being the first mayor in city history to be subject to a recall. more ›

Sales taxes might be dropping slightly today, but prices for services getting you around the Bay Area are going up a bit. Muni's regular monthly Fast Passes got a $2 bump, so you'll want to take that extra Muni ride in July to be sure you're getting your money's worth. Meanwhile, a cable car ride will cost you a hefty 6 bucks starting today. An amount perhaps better spent on a fifth of vodka and a brisk walk home. For longer range trips: Caltrain's base rate went up a quarter, the Larkspur Ferry gets a 5% bump in price and taking a boat from Sausalito will ding you another buck. [BCN/Appeal] more ›

The Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde, and California cable car lines will be shut down today through Sunday for "repairs and upgrades" as part of the SFMTA Cable Car Improvement Project. SF Appeal notes: "Muni shuttle buses will operate along the cable car routes with all regular, accessible stops available for passengers." Please be advised. more ›

Oh, the joys of the cable car commuter: To breezily rush out the door at the sound of the gripman's bell. To feel the California sun on your face and the cool Bay breeze through your hair as you coast downhill to some Union Square-adjacent office building. The knowing looks that tell your driver, "Hey, I'm a local. Only tourists pay for this thing." All that just before some dick's camera swings to catch you in the face and the cable car inevitably rear-ends a double-parked SUV. None of those joys are available to Powell-Mason riders today because that thing is out of service until further notice. So you'll have to take the shuttle bus instead. Just like the rest of us. Or at least the Powell-Hyde. [BCN/Appeal] more ›

This morning the Examiner posted a breakdown of payouts from lawsuits that followed a couple of cable car mishaps. According to the report, the 2008 derailing of a car on the Powell-Mason line just down the hill from the Cable Car Museum will cost the MTA $2.1 million to compensate three of the injured passengers. City Attorney Dennis Herrera's office a has also offered $2.75 million to settle with John Gainor who lost a foot when the trolley he was riding collided with a double-parked vehicle in 2009*. more ›

A man wearing only underwear got out on a ledge yesterday afternoon at 10 Cyril Magnin (the building at the base of Powell that was formerly a big Bank of America and now is a Forever 21 with lofts up above) and took a leap to his death near the cable car turnaround before hostage negotiators could reach him. more ›

The Powell cable cars are down this morning after a delivery tuck accidentally rammed a lamp post, which then fell and smashed into a window at Game Stop at 151 Powell. more ›

With Gavin caught up in a tough re-election campaign against...ummm...well...huh.... he's started playing up his street people street cred. Recently, he announced a plan to deal with all the vagrants caught doing vagrant-like by sending out "Homeless Outreach Teams" to deal with it. The teams consist of police officers and social services and when they catch somebody doing something unpleasant, they're supposed to give them a choice between going into outreach services or being issued a citation, which as far as we can tell, is the handing out of giant frowny faces that will be put on a giant white board in the local police station. The program will be focused on targeted areas around Union Square and SOMA, read, tourist traps. Apparently, tourists don't appreciate seeing people defecate in the streets while riding the Cable Cars and eating soup in a sourdough roll-- kinda gives new meaning to the phrase "San Francisco Treat." Gavin has been putting putting some of these policies into effect lately but is now making a bigger deal out of it. more ›

In this week's installment, our Security Guy answers questions that were asked in last week's segment. But before we get into it, we'd like to point you to this story, about more concerns involving the collecting of fares on Cable Cars. more ›

In today's installment of "Ask a Muni Security Guy" our security guy answers questions that commenters asked last time around. He will also discuss this week's Muni news about budget cuts and their impact on Muni security. And before we go to the post, we'd like to formally announce that "Ask a Muni Driver" will be returning next Monday as we have another driver willing to answer all your questions. more ›

Here t'is, just in time for the four day work week, the Official Best MUNI Line poll. We have the F Market Line as the favorite because, well, who doesn't love that line? We love riding them all the time despite the fact they're always crowded. Also tapped as favorites are the Cable Cars. Would we be San Francisco without them?. Then there's the Fightin' 1 California which seems to be a favorite of a lot of people. We've always found the 1 to be one of the better lines, mainly because they seem to roll by every minute. The dark horse, however, just might be the 41 if only because it's the, well, most scenic of routes. more ›

Because they have free Wi-Fi connection, we could have written this review live from Nook, in the heart of Russian Hill. But, despite our internet addiction, we prefer to travel with a simple moleskin notebook (no lines). Nook is a quirky little cafe identified by rosy splashes of colour and warm red and dark woods that brightly fill the space previously occupied by a quiet but cool-looking architects office. (Lets hope they just moved on instead of under.) Shoot for the best spot: There are banquettes around the edge of the room that afford the best opportunities for nosing at the other customers. If you are in a more day-dreamy mood then the window seats are particularly appealing, especially if the warm afternoon sun is grazing through the glass at just the right angle so that the heat melts onto your skin and you can gaze out idly at the Hyde Street Cable Cars clunking on by. more ›

In which SFist eats our way around the Bay Area in alphabetical order. more ›