But my preference is cabs... For $5 (assuming short hops), a guy can just take me to a place name and I don't have to know how to get there! Maybe next time I go to a big city, I'll try this...I've always been afraid to ride a cab, though! Just having to hail one, tell someone where you're going, know how much to pay and whether to tip or not or all that stuff...it's intimidating!
The subway was partly fun just because of all the people we saw. Lots of...ummm...characters right the subway, along with the business people, families, students, etc., etc. Bill and I were so excited when a few weeks later we saw an article that mentioned some of the same "characters" we'd seen!
And because we weren't let off right where we were going, we probably saw more things than we would have. Of course, we also wasted a lot more time than we would have, which wasn't altogether positive, I guess.
Just stand in the street and wave at them and an empty cab will stop... and the meter readout is there for you to see... so you can tell what it will add up to as you go. And I tip them, usually a buck... but sometimes just rounding up to the next dollar, sometimes $2 if the guy was giving his nightlife recommendations too!
They know where everything is, so you just have to say... take me to the Blue Theater, or Amigo's restaurant... And it seemed to me they went the most direct route and in SF, at about 45 mph!... so they didn't lolligag around to let the meter run... If he hurried, I tipped more. Maybe that is how it works