Forget about those cable cars creaking with loads of German tourists. If you're a fan of nostalgic strains of public transportation — about the only worthwhile form of public transportation this city has to offer — spring for a $1.50 ride into the past, courtesy of the F-Market and Wharves Muni line, which runs from the Castro through downtown to Fisherman's Wharf. The line is furnished with a fleet of historic streetcars from San Francisco and Philadelphia, as well as antique streetcars from Moscow, Milan, and New Orleans. Admittedly, it isn't the fastest way to traverse the city, but this line affords great people-watching along Market Street and fine views from the Embarcadero. The cars themselves, with their imposing modernist shells and worn wooden interiors, will make you think you've stepped into a scene from a 1930s gangster flick. As your car passes Powell, make sure to heckle the tourists queued up for a cable-car ride below Union Square.