A closer look
San Francisco's cable cars are the only moving objects on the planet to be designated as National Historic Landmarks. Invented in 1873 by Andrew Hallidie because he was horrified by the sight of horses slipping and dying on the city's impossibly steep hills, the system relies on an underground loop of continuously moving steel cables that drivers must physically grip and release. Instead of modernizing like a normal city, San Francisco spends millions keeping this antique, brake-failing, tourist-stuffed theme park ride operational just so visitors can hang off the side and pretend they are in a Rice-A-Roni commercial. It remains a beautiful tribute to the nineteenth century, proving we will gladly endure massive public transit inefficiencies if it looks sufficiently charming on an Instagram feed
