What is BART musings?

I've never been a fan of public transportation. Let me get that fact out first. However, driving is not for everyone living in the SF Bay Area, unless you have no problems wasting at least 2 hours of your life going 23 miles roundtrip.

If you're from here, you know what I'm talking about. The 8 bridges make it pretty darn inefficient, especially during traffic hours, to get from point A to B. I used to drive from Albany to SF...a mere 11 miles apart. But sometimes, that could take longer than an hour. Believe me, I've lost many hairs each day doing that drive. I cussed, I screamed, I flicked people off, and I've bumped into bumpers.... just to get ahead by one car's length. Road rage + expensive gas + outrageous cellphone bills + bald spots (which have grown back now, I must add for my own pride) = miserable self + unhappy spouse.

Anyhow, reluctantly, I became a public transportation user. Growing up in Los Angeles, I've never taken a bus in my life. Watching those buses pass by from my car really made me feel quite grateful that I wasn't in there. The buses looked steamy and dirty...I can only imagine what it smelled like inside. I've never seen someone writing a public transport smile. But now....I've become one of them.

BART stands for Bay Area Rapid Transport, for those of you not from the area. I've heard from many that it is one of the cleaner subway rides that exist in the U.S. I think it even won best public transportation in the country this year...although, that makes me wonder just how bad the other systems are since BART fails to deliver me on-time 1 out of every 3 days....which then causes me to miss the connecting shuttle that actually takes me to work.

I've been a BART rider for a couple years now, and it never ceases to amaze me the many forms of "entertainment" I get from my 35-minute each-way ride from Lafayette to SF. The musings are wearing on me. From people watching, eavesdropping, reluctant scent explorations and human contact, I need some form of therapy to get these thoughts, experiences, and smells out of my mind!

BART musings is how I intend on doing it. This blog will keep me getting on that train each morning since I can't afford to pay 4-5 gallons of gas, $3 of bridge toll, plus parking at work, on a daily basis. Whether you agree or not, this is one person's observation of SF Bay Area's subway system, BART. So read on...