Monday, October 08, 2007

Whatever happened to Columbus Day lighter trains?

Is it just me or has Columbus Day turned into a shopping and sales gimmick? I don't know anyone who gets Columbus Day off anymore (schools aside) and lighter traffic and BART trains have just become a myth! My train this morning was just as crowded as any other day with standing room only! Parking lot too was just as full as usual! Is it a government employee holiday only now? Do financial institutions get it off? I definitely didn't sense any passenger subtraction from the holiday.

Maybe it's just my commute time and luck. How was it for you?

5 comments:

Jason said...

Trains were just as full around 7 out of Pittsburg/Baypoint, but traffic on the freeway was quite a bit lighter than normal, which was rather nice.

Anonymous said...

The bart parking lots was emptier for me in Walnut Creek but not by much. Train looked the same though.

Anonymous said...

I completely forgot it was C-Day, so of course, schools & government, and banks have a holiday. I didn't realize it until I arrived at the BART station & found it to be anywhere from 15% - 25% of normal. Not only was I taking an earlier train, but it was literally way less crowded than normal, even though I was on an earlier train. It also remained light throughout the trip into the city. Whether or not it's still as crowded as non-holiday must depend on where people live.

Anonymous said...

my best memories from Burning Man are definitely from the years before it got all trendy and popular.

so i totally know how you feel.

Anonymous said...

I think Columbus day is just a postal holiday now. Nobody I know had it off, my kids both still had school. I work at a financial institution and nobody even questioned that we don't get it off...