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.\n\nHitching 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.\n\nIntrigued 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.
Source: BBC 2
Series 2 Reversions: 9. Chicago To Champaign, Illinois
21-08-2023
BBC 2
Series 2 Reversions: 5. Santa Fe, New Mexico, To The Grand Canyon
14-08-2023
BBC 2
Series 2 Reversions: 4. La Junta To Colorado Springs
10-08-2023
BBC 2
Series 2 Reversions: 2. Sedalia To St Joseph, Missouri
08-08-2023
BBC 2
Series 2 Reversions: 1. St Louis To Jefferson City, Missouri
07-08-2023
BBC 2
Series 3: 2. Boston To Concord, Massachusetts
Michael Portillo's 19th-century Appleton's guidebook leads him to the Parker House Hotel, where in his best pinny, he whisks up a Boston cream pie.\n\nIn the fine dome atop Mass ...
08-11-2022
BBC 2
Alaska And Canada: 1. Ninilchik To Spencer Whistlestop
Michael Portillo heads for the Last Frontier of the United States armed with his 1899 Appleton's Guide-Book to Alaska. Written by an intrepid 19th-century female explorer, the b ...
24-07-2023
BBC 2
Series 3 Reversions: 6. Boston To Concord
Armed with his 19th-century Appleton's guidebook to the United States and Canada, Michael Portillo embarks on a 1100-mile railroad journey from Boston, Massachusetts, across the ...
12-06-2018
BBC 2
Series 3: 16. Santa Clara To Santa Cruz
Michael Portillo's thousand-mile rail journey through California continues south toward Santa Clara in the heart of Silicon Valley and ends in the surf of Santa Cruz. In a high- ...
01-12-2022
BBC 2
Series 4: 7. Springhill Junction To Quebec City
Clutching his 1899 copy of Appleton’s Guide to Canada, Michael Portillo travels on the Ocean train from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick. Along the way, he investigates the wo ...
28-09-2022
BBC 2
Series 3: 6. Burlington To Plattsburgh
Michael Portillo continues his American rail journey through New England as he heads for the Canadian border. First stop is Burlington, Vermont, a busy timber port at the time o ...
15-11-2022
BBC 2
Series 3: 7. Montreal, Quebec
Following a special 1899 Canadian edition of his Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo has left the United States and crossed the border to embark on the next leg of his rail journ ...
16-11-2022
BBC 2