Every THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATURDAY through mid-October, take a special cable car on a route it rarely runs: a round-trip from the Muni cable car turntable at Aquatic Park (Hyde and Beach Streets, near Ghirardelli Square) to Chinatown. In just 30 minutes, you’ll climb the steepest hill in the cable car world (and go back down), see the Crooked Street (Lombard), roll along scenic Hyde Street through Russian Hill, and squeeze along narrow residential streets to reach the gateway to Chinatown. You can get off there, or stay on and come right back. If you stay on, it’s a single fare, just $8. And it’s included in the best-value Muni 1-Day Passport ($13).

Special Hyde Ride cable cars run every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. More details here.