Great American Railroad Journeys - Season 0 Episode 20 San Francisco – Series 3 Reversions
Armed with his trusty Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo reaches San Francisco, where he boards one of the city's iconic cable cars. Behind the scenes in the engineering powerhouse, he uncovers the street cars' secret to scaling the city's famously steep hills. In the Presidio neighbourhood, a leading publisher introduces Michael to San Francisco's long tradition of fine printing and book-making. Michael takes the opportunity to have his own treasured book appraised.
Hitching a ride on a hippy 'love bus' to the heart of the city's gay district, Michael traces the roots of the city's LGBTQ scene back to the era of the gold rush and meets the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. At Fisherman's Wharf, Michael samples a local seafood speciality brought to the city by Italian immigrants. Across the bay at Sausalito, he boards a schooner to hear the story of Matthew Turner, the most prolific shipbuilder of his time. In Chinatown, Michael hears about the huge contribution Chinese immigrants made to the Californian economy, both as miners and in building the transcontinental railroad. He discovers an entrepreneurial community who overcame discrimination and finds that fortune favours the brave when he learns to create an iconic Chinese treat.
Intrigued by a reference in his guidebook, Michael visits the Sutro Baths, where he learns the story behind an ugly 19th-century incident of racial discrimination, which prompted an African American to sue one of the richest white men in the state. A trip out into the Bay with the San Francisco Police Department's marine unit, established in 1864, shows Michael how the force continues to keep the waters safe.
Year: 2020
Genre: Documentary
Country: United Kingdom
Studio: BBC Two
Director:
Cast: Michael Portillo
First Air Date: Feb 01, 2016
Last Air date: Mar 28, 2020
Season: 4 Season
Episode: 75 Episode
Runtime: 29 minutes
IMDb: 9.00/10 by 1.00 users
Popularity: 2.38
Language: English
Episode
Manhattan Island – Series 1 Reversions
Brooklyn to Montauk – Series 1 Reversions
New York City to Albany – Series 1 Reversions
Schenectady to Niagara Falls – Series 1 Reversions
Philadelphia to Gettysburg – Series 1 Reversions
Wilmington to Fort McHenry – Series 1 Reversions
Washington to Mount Vernon – Series 1 Reversions
Manassas to Jamestown – Series 1 Reversions
St Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri – Series 2 Reversions
Sedalia to St Joseph, Missouri – Series 2 Reversions
Lawrence to Lamar, Colorado – Series 2 Reversions
La Junta to Colorado Springs – Series 2 Reversions
Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the Grand Canyon – Series 2 Reversions
Minneapolis - St Paul – Series 2 Reversions
Minnesota - Wisconsin – Series 2 Reversions
Milwaukee to Chicago – Series 2 Reversions
Chicago to Champaign, Illinois – Series 2 Reversions
Illinois to Tennessee – Series 2 Reversions
Reno To The Napa Valley – Series 3 Reversions
San Francisco – Series 3 Reversions
Berkeley to Santa Cruz – Series 3 Reversions
Monterey to Los Angeles – Series 3 Reversions
Los Angeles to San Diego – Series 3 Reversions
Boston to Concord – Series 3 Reversions
Plymouth to New London – Series 3 Reversions
New Haven to Plattsburgh – Series 3 Reversions
Montreal to Ottawa – Series 3 Reversions
Thousand Islands to Toronto – Series 3 Reversions