Mad for fuschia

Fashion sense is in the eye of the beholder. I'm not judging anyone...just sharing an observation. I never thought I would see so much fuschia on a person. Now, picture this in your mind.

A woman in her late-40s immediately drew my attention as she walked onto the train. She was very brightly colored and probably made most passengers look twice.

She had a fuschia tank top and a fushia skirt with white stripes. She wore fushia colored nail polish with fuschia sandals. She also had a fuschia scrunchy tying up her poofy layered hair. She accessorized with fuschia bracelets and fuschia earrings. Her lipstick and blush color? You got it, fuschia and fuschia. Eye shadow? Ha, gotcha, that was actually light blue. Needless to say, her purse was fuschia too.

I then noticed that her bra strap was also fuschia. Talk about color coordinated!! I wonder if this color coordination is only for fuschia, or if she had a blue outfit on, everything will be in blue instead?

More power to her for dressing the way she pleases!

Obsessive or just plain inconsiderate?

Last night, on a very crowded train back to the East Bay, I sat next to a woman with two Chinese take-out boxes wrapped in a plastic bag. The smell instantly permeated through the train. As you know, the smell of food in train, no matter what it is, mixed in with the dirty and musty scent of the train, just stinks. Because I was sitting right next to this woman and her food, the scent was overpowering. The odor was on me, my clothes, my hair, my bag and in the air I breath in.

But that is not it! People bringing food onto trains is very common (not worthy of an online rant). But what made this woman worse was the fact that every 2-3 minutes, and after every stop, she unwraps her white plastic bag, opens up the take-out boxes, looks quickly at the food for a second, and closes it back up, and re-wraps the plastic bag. Every few minutes, she repeats this pattern..open the bag, open th boxes, look at the food and close it back up.

What does she think is going to happen to the food? Was she checking the temperature? What is going to change in 2-3 minutes? Does she think there's someone invisible eating her Chinese food away?? Was she considering taking a piece out because she couldn't wait? What is her deal???

Whatever her reason was, I didn't care! Everyone had to smell the food again and again just because of her freakishly obsessive habit or her extreme hunger. You can see people cringe each time she opened up the boxes! The more I smelled the food, the sicker I felt. I decided to give up my seat so someone else can deal with the woman and her take-out. I then stood next to the train door so that at the next stop, I can sneak in a quick breath of fresh air finally.

It's bad enough that people do not follow the "NO FOOD OR DRINKS" sign (separate topic but it says no food or drink, not no eating or drinking, so to me, that means you shouldn't even bring food onto the train, although in a past blog, people have disagreed with me), but to open up the food and let the smell leak through the entire train is really inconsiderate.

Which part of "get in line" do you not understand?

This morning, one woman was so blatantly cutting in front of me that I just had to say something. Usually, cutters like to swoop in from the side as the door opens...I generally just sense where they're swooping in from and block their way by swaying my body and work bag from left to right.

However, this woman was ridiculously rude. I was the first in line at this particular boarding zone (the black paint area along the yellow strip on the boarding platform), and standing behind the yellow paint like we are supposed to do. I was no more than two inches behind the yellow zone and this woman walks up the stairs, looks around and stands IN FRONT of me right ON TOP of the black paint boarding area. Aside from the fact that is dangerously close to the train tracks, she pretty much shoved herself in front of me in such an uncomfortably close distance as if she's doing that just to push me back.

I stood next to her to see what she would do. She just pretended she didn't see me and moved forward a couple steps more....she was 3 inches from the train tracks!

I had to say something-- she was being ridiculous! By then, there were other people lining up behind me. I decided to say, "Excuse me, can you get in line?"

She gave me a very dirty look and grabbed her bags and went to the back of the line. But the story does not end here!!! When the train came, the door opened, she cut across everyone else in line and walked in front of me. I just could not let this go- what the hell did she think she was doing? She had to get a seat that bad??? I walked even faster into the train and cut her off. There were two seats left- I took one, and another woman took the other as this rude cutting woman was too late in her effort to grab the other empty seat after I took "hers".

Ridiculous and petty little story...I know...but people are so petty and rude sometimes that you just have to fight back and let them get a taste of their own medicine.

BART's tendency to under-estimate delay time

There were delays this morning for all trains heading to SF. Official BART announcements repeated said to expect a 10-15 minute delay, but I knew that is too good to be true. As it turns out, the delay was more like 20-25 minutes for my train. I was too tired to care...besides, by being just over 5 minutes late, I was already going to miss my company shuttle anyways.

By the time my train arrived at Civic Center, 23 minutes later, I had only 1.5 minute to catch the next arriving shuttle. I didn't have flats on today, and instead wore these slight heels that weren't the easiest for running up the stairs. I knew to make it up to the shuttle pick-up in time would be a near-impossible task. I turned up the volume on my iPod, tuned into a song with a very ast dance beat as motivational, and dashed as quickly as I could. Luckily, I pulled up right before the shuttle driver closed the doors.

Why does BART always tend to under-estimate the delay time? I've come to expect it...but why do they do it? To give us a false sense of hope and impression of near on-time arrival?

Some thoughts about commuters using Senior Citizen or Child tickets

This topic came to mind because a friend of mine mentioned that his coworker, an able-bodies 35-40 year old, has no shame whatsoever using a disabled person's or child's ticket on BART!! This coworker of his says he finds that easy to do because station agents don't check or look his way as he enters.

I've seen people around my age with colorful tickets...green, orange, red...etc. For the longest time, I didn't actually take the time to read on the website or booklet what the different colors meant, and assumed that maybe they had discounted tickets because their relatives work at BART. When I finally did one day (read the booklet since I was out of reading material and was desperate for something to entertain myself), I started noticing that people who shouldn't be using a senior or child ticket, are using it. **Some had a disabled ticket, but I don't want to judge whether they are cheating or not just because I can't see an apparent diability**

Personally, I'd be embarrassed and quite ashamed to whip out a discounted ticket that I am not entitled to. I think most people would feel the same way. But there just are passengers who don't give a **** what people think...they walk through the side doors, they use discounted tickets, they park in handicapped spots without a placard (at least they get a ticket for that). Some people would throw away self-respect and dignity for a little discount.

I know it is impossible for station agents to be looking at colors of tickets even if they do decide to look up and around every once in awhile, but I can't help but think if they did look towards the direction of the ticket gates a bit more, would it help lessen the number of people who illegally use discounted tickets or even the number of people who walk through the side doors?

But this is really a problem with self-respect, dignity and upbringing- there will always be people who will defy the rules to get a little something for themselves. Even if BART station agents always paid attention to what is in front of them, these people will find another way to cheat.

Overboard with onboard entertainment

I know I've discussed this several times before, but today, this train operator took it overboard and beyond the tolerance limit. She's a happy person, I get it...we all get it, but exuding cheerfulness when announcing stations is one thing, but singing at every SF stop is totally another. To me, that is WAY TOO MUCH, especially most of us I bet are not nearly as cheery as she is about heading to a busy day in the office.

From East Bay all the way to SF, she was tolerable. She was happy and constantly told us to sit back or stand back and enjoy the bay, while announcing weather every so often. That is acceptable, though still on the annoying side to me personally.

Things started to get worse once we headed into the Transbay Tube.

She says....hang on tight...off we go across the bay by the city to the city by the bay.
At Embarcadero she sings, "Hi ho, Hi ho, it's Embarcadero station we go!" or something similar.
At Montgomery she sings, "Yo ho, Yo ho, it's Montgomery station for me!"
At Powell she sings, "It's a small street after all, it's a small street after all, it's a small street after all, it's POWELL street."

I missed her song at Civic Center because I was smack against the door ready to POP OUT OF THERE! Now I wished I had listened so I can share it here...but if someone out there heard it, please post it in the comments board! I'd like to know how far she went down to the SF stations.

I asked one of my coworkers what she thought of the singing...she thought it was annoying beyond belief too!!

We understand that she is cheerful- nothing wrong with that- but it's just too much to shove the songs and jokes down our throats early in the morning. Oh well....no big deal....just had to rant!

You will not believe me but...

I saw a homeless man standing very close to a Civic Center BART station exit escalator. He was looking down while standing straight and still. As tired as I was Monday morning, it took me a little longer than usual to realize what he was doing. He was peeing into the outside corner of escalator exit. I figured that out after I got to the top of the escalator and saw a moving body of yellowish fluid flowing from the top down. Apparently, the pee waterfall was caused by the overflow from his corner.

I'm used to jumping over pee puddles around the Civic Center station, but never moving fluid on an escalator in motion. There's a first for everything I guess. Nothing surprises me at the CC Bart Station!

Another person under train? What is going on?

After the two suicides (one dead, one injured) on Tuesday, I couldn't believe there was another under-the-track injury today! Did she fall off? Or was this another suicide attempt? I hope people do not make a habit of this. It is traumatic for train operators, a resource and time drain for BART, and a huge inconvenience for all of us passengers.



Woman struck by BART train - Chronicle Staff ReportFriday, August 25, 2006
(08-25) 11:12 PDT DALY CITY -- The Daly City BART station has reopened after being shut down while rescue workers freed a woman from beneath a train this morning.
The woman was rescued around 10:30 a.m. and transported to San Francisco General Hospital. Officials had no information on the extent of her injuries.
The station reopened at 10:54 a.m., spokesman Jim Allison said. However, at 11 a.m., trains headed from Daly City to the East Bay and the Peninsula were experiencing 15-minute delays.
Allison said a train operator reported a person under the train at 9:45 a.m., and power to the electrified third rail was turned off.
The victim initially was reported to be a young girl, but after she was rescued, it turned out that she is a woman in her 30s.

Please always get up for a very pregnant woman!

This morning's ride was more crowded than usual. Needless to say, the seats were long gone and even standing room was in short supply. At Rockridge, a very pregnant woman walks in. All the handicapped seats were taken in the area: 3 were occupied by seniors, 1 by a blind person, and the other two, a young man dressed up as if he's going to an interview trying to not make eye-contact with the pregnant woman and a 30-something woman pretending she didn't see this pregnant woman. I was way back in the end of the cart, uncomfortably standing between 2 men, but hoping one of the two younger seated passengers would stand up for this woman who was loosing her balance.

Out of all the other seated passengers in the train, no one bothered to give up their seat! It was so rude and inconsiderate. How can anyone not know she's pregnant and could really use a seat? What if she falls? I don't want to have any double standards but how could the able-bodied men sitting around her not have the courtesy to get up?? The women should have too!

Anyhow, finally, the train emptied out a bit at 12th Street Oakland and an older woman held an open seat for this pregnant lady.

It was disturbing to me although it doesn't surprise me. I know we live in a society where women demand the same rights and opportunities as men but I consider certain things common courtesy and will raise my future son, if I have one, to honor them. For example, always give up their seat to females, hold the door for females, give up a taxi to a female hailing a cab too....etc.

No excuse to complain about the 35+ min. delay! Two found under BART trains!

Before I found out exactly what was causing the 35+ minute delays this afternoon, I was absolutely pissed off at BART staff and the poor communication we received at Civic Center on why the "medical emergencies" at Union City and West Oakland were taking that long to fix, and why one announcement says West Oakland is reopened, but another right after contradicts it and says the station will be reopened in a few moments....yet after a "few moments", all trains still remain in holding pattern for 20 minutes longer?

I was in a rush to get home today to bring my dog to the vet before the clinic closes. I was in a mad rush to return home that I actually took a taxi to the Civic Center station instead of waiting for the company shuttle.

Of course I get there and I see the Dublin Pleasanton train being held with doors open. We had no news for 5 minutes, then "medical emergencies" update for 10 minutes, followed by 20 more minutes of contradictory announcements about when the trains will resume. Then, once it finally starts to move, it was stop and go the whole way, while stopping at each station for longer than usual periods of time due to passengers in line trying to crowd in when there is no room.

The train operator warns, "Doors are closing, stay clear of the doors" but people still stand right in the middle, some even go as far as reaching their hands in to pry it open...holding up the train even longer and making my poor dog wait for me at home!

My 30 min ride turned into 65 minutes of misery. I was angry that the ambulances (this is before finding out the real reason) could not just take the sick passenger off the trains and let the rest of the trains move on! I've seen a couple "medical emergencies" in the past on my trains and they were NOT emergencies by any means.

Finally, I get home and barely had enough time to take my dog to the vet. I return from the vet to find out that two different individuals were found under different trains today: one dead at the scene and one uninjured. CRAZY!!!

After reading that, I am not angry anymore, although I must say I was greatly inconvenienced under the special circumstances today. I wonder if the dead victim the result of a suicide attempt? And what compelled the uninjured woman to get on the tracks with a train coming??
Did she fall? I see passengers who don't stay behind the yellow line and love to cut across people lining up in back of it. I do that sometimes when stuck behind a slow-walking person. I can't help it, I like to move fast. I guess if someone I offend decides to push me off, I could easily end up on the tracks too.

Anyhow, after finding out the real reasons of the delays, I've decided to change the tone of my post completely. I guess these are real emergencies under all definitions and perspectives.

Perky Train Operator

Every so often, I ride in a train with an operator who is extra perky and animated. By that I mean he or she will announce "good morning" and "welcome" at every stop, give us a forecast of the week, wish us a relaxing ride, some will even comment on the view or count down the remaining hours left until weekend. Once I even had a train operator who pointed out some 'landmarks' to tourists.

I generally don't have a problem with perkiness over the microphone. It's a pleasant change from train operators who mumble inaudibly each station name. Sometimes it could get a little irritating when they go overboard with the comedic entertainment, I mean, seriously, this is not a Southwest flight, we don't need people to hum us a tune.

Today, one passenger must have been extremely grumpy and not pleased with the way his day started out....he was just overly angered by every comment the train operator made over the microphone. She said, "Good morning everyone! Welcome to BART on this Monday morning." He would yell out, "Shut up!" Later she announces, "Looks like we will have another warm week in the East Bay." He said, "Damn it- just do your job!"

This went on the entire ride to SF!

I don't love the extra commentary but it's nothing that horrible to get so mad and annoyed over. At the worst, I just roll my eyes and keep reading. Why the rude and pissed off comments?

On a side note, school started again it seems as BART parking lots and trains were more crowded than usual. Sigh....no more seats for me I guess.

Part Two - "Follow me, kids!"

Last Friday, I wrote the entry, "Follow me, kids", after I saw a mother, leading her 4 kids through the side handicapped door, without paying fare. The comments and emails have been great-- showing that fare skipping is really a big problem and frankly, the agents need to be a bit more vigilant about enforcing basic rules and actually look UP instead of down for a change.

After that post, I started to look around a lot more carefully at people when entering the ticket gates. I see bikers going straight from the parking lot through the swinging side doors without going back to pay. I see mothers pushing babies in strollers straight through the swinging side doors without going back to pay. I see passengers who walk across the swinging side door without blinking or looking like they've done anything wrong. It is common- way too common- and extremely disturbing that agents don't care or notice!

Although I said something back to the mother with 4 kids last Friday, I didn't say anything to these other folks this week for various reasons. Distance is one, but also, I shouldn't be the one enforcing the rules or putting them to shame!

I must say the same thing again- why are the station agents (in the glass booths) always looking down? what are they looking at? are they reading a magazine? playing crossword puzzles? Must be something very enticing and interesting because when I actually do need assistance and stand right in front of them, it takes them quite a long time to notice that I am standing right there!

Why don't they actually look around them? I bet if they did, within 30 minutes, they would catch a fare skipper!

Most of us are paying a handsome fee to ride BART! Nearly $40 a week, in fact, if I ride daily! Everyone should follow rules, and those who don't, should be told to and fined!

Please, BART management, do something about this!

European Tourists Abound

I love seeing tourists around SF. I'm not being sarcastic- I personally love to travel and appreciate natives who are polite and helpful.

In the past few weeks, I've noticed an abundance of European tourists around the Civic Center Bart Station/ Market&8th. I've also seen tour buses crowding the corner, picking loads and loads of passengers up from that hotel (Ramada I think?) on Market, between 8th and 9th.

The first thing that comes to mind when I see these tourists...why are they staying at this hotel? In this depressed area? I constantly see the tourists' faces when they walk into the many pee puddles around the block or when they get a big whiff of the after-scent of the many homeless folks inhabiting in the area. I see the parents grasping onto their kids whenever a homeless person approaches them. I hear them complaining that there are no places to get breakfast around there except the lone Starbucks. Occasionally, one of them will ask one of us waiting for the company shuttle whether there is anything to see in the area within 30 minutes, before their organized tour begins. Sadly, we have to say "not really, not within this immediate vicinity."

That area is really not the best representation of this beautiful city. Granted, all those city buildings and concert halls on Van Ness are just 4 or 5 blocks away and are absolutely gorgeous, but Market/8th is really not the most tourist-friendly area. Why didn't they stay near Fisherman's Wharf? Union Square? Nob Hill? or even the Financial District where they could take the cable car around easily? Why the Civic Center BART Station?

So why ARE they staying there??!! My guess is they probably didn't do extensive research online and was lured by the hotel rate. Or perhaps they had no choice because the organized tour they arrived with has a deal with this particular Ramada.

I wonder what they must think of the city if what they see around them in between the tours, is this depressed, dirty and sometimes threatening scenery. But then again, after seeing the wharf, bridges and other sites in the Bay Area, I think they will become forgiving of their immediate surroundings.

Do I have to shake your hand?

Funny thing happened today on my way to work. During the smooth and ontime BART ride (always appreciate this rarity), I noticed a man suffering from a bad cold or a bad case of allergies. He was sneezing nonstop. He was polite enough to cover his nose up with his hands each time he let out a sneeze.

He got out at Civic Center station, like me, and was a few steps ahead of me on the escalator. During his walk up, he sneezed again. I remember thinking as I moved along the escalator that I'm probably passing his floating germs right now. The point being...his nonstop sneezing made an impression in my mind.

As I got to the company shuttle pick-up, I noticed he was there too. Oh, does he work in my company too? I thought to myself...I guess I've never see him before. An acquaintance of mine walked towards me at that point and said hello to me and also the sneezing man. He then asked me, "Have you met ****? He recently joined the company in the ***** team."

The sneezing man took his hand out as we are introduced. I was thinking, "Oh my gosh, what am I going to do? I don't want to touch his hand. I know his hands have been covered in saliva and mucus the past half an hour!" I tried my best to quickly think of an excuse to tie-up my hands...maybe I can pretend it is stuck in a pocket? Or maybe I can pretend I'm holding a heavy bag and can't move it? Whatever I thought of, I couldn't really act on it within that 1 second of time that I had before it seemed like his handshake was unanswered for way too long.

Alas, I gave in. I couldn't make up a believable excuse fast enough. I shook his hand like any normal person would. I figured this probably happens ALL the time especially at tradeshows and weddings, besides, I have Purell in my bag that I can use afterwards.

I had to refrain myself from popping out my hand sanitizer during the 5-minute shuttle ride since he was in the shuttle too. Once I got to work, I washed my hands thoroughly.

Follow me, kids!

This doesn't surprise me at all. It's very common on BART, but since we have posted a few comments regarding this very problem, thought I should share what I saw today.

At the Civic Center Station, a mom, with 4 kids, were approaching the BART ticketing entrance.

The oldest kid, a boy about 7 or 8, goes directly to the ticket gate and asks, "Mom, how do we get in here?" The woman answers, "No, ***, you get over here, follow me, we're going this way."

She then proceeds to the side handicapped swing door and directs her children to walk that way. All five of them got onto the ticketing platform this way. This took place about 12 feet from the station agent sitting inside the glass window.

Frankly, I was pretty disgusted. It's because of people like that the rest of us have to pay around $8 roundtrip daily to get to work and back.

I said to her loudly, "You forgot to pay." Being at least 8 feet from me, she conveniently ignored me and went on to board her train.

How safe are we on BART?

A bit of a more serious thought today. Since news of the liquid gel explosive broke, I've been doing a lot of thinking and questioning.

The BART Police were doing random train walk-throughs today with bomb sniffing dogs, causing the trains to pause for at least 3-5 minutes. I was glad to hear that and didn't mind the delay, but is that enough to protect everyone should there be a plot to attack the system? And why does it always take a scare to get everyone (internationally, not just here) back to the level of awareness that we should constantly have? Are we being too reactive? Do we need more "events" to realize terrorism is not a traditional enemy? (**Please, this is not meant to stir a political debate at all. These are just some thoughts and questions that came to mind**)

BART passengers see signs around the station and trains asking us to stay alert and watch out for suspicious packages, but can we count on self-enforcement to keep us from danger? What exactly makes a bag suspicious? What if the source of harm is not actually left unattended but being carried onto the train by a paying passenger?

I'm not sure how much more BART can do to protect passengers. They could install detectors at the entrance, but can they detect explosives? Don't think so. Or, BART Police (with trained canines) can stand by the entrance to randomly inspect passengers, but that could lead to a whole new debate about privacy infringement and racial profiling in this politically charged SF Bay Area.

I don't expect there to be any new initiatives to protect BART passengers beyond what is already being done because the politics make everything reactive around here.

I am not fearful on BART and have not felt unsafe as a passneger (well, not due to terrorism at least, but have definitely felt unsafe due to homeless and drunks). These are just some thoughts on my mind.

Got bumped by a bike today

Are people supposed to carry their bike up on the escalator? I thought they were supposed to use the stairs or the elevator. It seems awfully crowded and dangerous to have a bike on a packed up-escalator!

Granted, the woman, extremely thin and frail-looking, was doing her best to carry the bike at shoulder-level to avoid bumping into crowds. I kept my distance from her the best I could...about 3 escalator steps behind her. I was getting nervous watching her because I could tell her arms were getting tired and the bike was swinging back and forth as her arms started to lower.

Suddenly, she took a step down on the escalator to help keep her balance, but the bike swung backwards anyways and she ended up right in front of me. One of her bike tires hit my face as a result. I was expecting it to happen....I knew at some point she would not be able to keep the bike above her shoulders. There were passengers riding the escalator behind me, so I couldn't take more steps back to protect myself.

It didn't hurt much. I was more concerned with the tires being dirty than hurting my face. She was so apologetic and having such a tough time with her bike that I felt too sorry for her to yell at her!

Rough start to my morning

Mondays are always tough, but today it was more difficult than usual for me to get out of bed. I pounded the snooze button more times than I could keep track of during my sleepy state and suddenly, it was very late! I had just a few minutes to get ready, drive, park and get on the train. I jammed my usual 20 minute routine (darn good for a female) into half the amount of time and rushed to the BART station.

As soon as I got there, my neck started feeling uncomfortable. It seemed like my collar is unusually high and making my neck a little tight and itchy. I looked down, and realized that I wore my long-sleeve top backwards! I was trying to convince myself that I could get away with it because by then, I didn't have a place to swap back to front. It was pretty obvious that the shirt was on backwards with the fabric jammed and gathered at the neck, the label printed right there, and the stitching of the label tag clearly visible right under my eyes.

As I got up to the platform, I saw that the train was 9 minutes late. Well, I figured if I'm going to miss my shuttle pick-up anyways, I might as well take a chance, go to the BART station restroom and make my outfit a little more comfortable, during this extra wait time that BART has given me.

I don't like public restrooms but I do use them when necessary. The only other BART restroom I've tried was Lafayette and it was quite clean for a public restroom, a B+ in my rating system. I thought Lafayette and Orinda are pretty similar cities, I'm sure the Orinda restroom is just as clean. So, I took a chance and walked in. Oh boy....I found puddles of bright yellow urine splattered everywhere and the room smelled like smoke and pee. I guess since no one follows the "No Food or Drinks" sign BART posts, why would people follow the "No Smoking" sign! Horrible combination of odors. Unlike the Lafayette public restroom, the Orinda one warrants a D+ at best in my rating system.

Thank goodness I didn't have to use the facilities, I just needed a place to fix my shirt. I had a large computer bag filled with folders and a purse. I had no space anywhere to place the bags down! The sink had ashes all over, and there was no way I would let my bags touch the ground! So with no place to settle my bags, it took me awhile to get my shirt to the ride side while holding 2 bags (1 heavy!). During this juggling of shirt and bags, I stepped into a puddle of urine. I had a pair of superflat sandals that gave me only 1/2 a centimeter of protection between the ground and my feet. I had to wipe off the ashes on the sink so I could wash my feet, and then, I poured the rest of my Purell onto them. Thank goodness, I had the foresight to roll up my jeans before I walked in, a trick I learned because of my experiences at the Civic Center Station.

Well, I did it and I made it onto the train in time. I guess Orinda doesn't keep up as well as Lafayette station. I don't even want to imagine what the Civic Center station restroom is like and hopefully I will never have to find out!

why crowd next to me on an empty train?

On a fairly empty Concord bound train this afternoon, I thought I would have the luxury of getting two seats to myself. As we approached Embarcadero from Civic Center, the train still had many empty seats, and I thought I would be free to stretch my tired arms and sit comfortably across 2 seats. But, a larger, very hairy and totally sweating older man walked in, and decided to take the seat next to me even though the train was about 40% empty.

Why oh why did he have to choose this seat?? I smelled him immediately: his sweat, his hair, his unwashed clothes (smelled like a dirty closet) and his breath! I was miserable and wanted to get up to change a seat. But I realized that it would really be a huge production for him to have to stand up, grab his things and move aside for me, and if he didn't do that and instead just expected me to walk over him, it would be extremely unpleasant for my body to have to touch his. So, I decided to just suck it up for 25 minutes.

It wasn't easy. He coughed a lot, his sweaty left arms touched my dry and clean right arm several times, and worst of all, I caught him violently scratching his big wart on his face.

Finally, I was at my station. And I was right, it did take him a long long time to allow me to exit my seat. I almost missed the door.

Glad the weekend is here!

A public conversation

There was actually a brief entertainment program on BART today. The train operator apparently did not know his microphone was on and was chatting up with a friend. The conversation was a little embarrassing for the train operator since details of his love life was divulged to the rest of us. I felt a little guilty listening (post-publish comment: I didn't feel THAT guilty...more awkwards than guilty) but had no choice since it was broadcasted throughout the train.

Here's the conversation- probably not the exact words but close.

Train Operator (TO): Hey, where've you been?
Friend (F): You know, just around.
TO: Where you heading?
F: Got a job interview in the city. Whatevers. What have you been up to?
TO: Nothing much.
F: You still dating that guy? What's his name, ****?
TO: No, we went out a couple times and he never called me back.
F: Didn't go too well?

That was it. Maybe he realized that his mike was on, or his friend had to run, but the conversation ended there, leaving us to wonder why his date never returned his call and how things are going now.

What do you think of BART's "thank you" banner ads?

If you ride BART daily, I'm sure you've noticed the "thank you" BART ads around the trains. One of them says (can't remember the exact words), "Thank you, sleeping behind your sunglasses riders," and another says, "Thank you, first ride of your life riders." I think there are a couple others, although I can't remember them ride now.

I think they are a bit corny but not close to being as bad as the SF Giants' "It's your Giants" radio and TV ads (side note: speaking of the Giants, depressing 9 straight losses. I hope we release Benitez to make a statement, waste the millions who cares, just rid the cancer). I know that BART is trying to express appreciation with humor, but I remember thinking these two ads that I've seen do not actually directly relate to me and frankly, slightly lame.

BART should have ads that thank those of us who know to walk on the left and stand on the right, those of us who have tickets ready in hand BEFORE we approach the gate, those of us who actually make a point to get up for seniors and handicapped, those of us who ride BART the next day despite horrible delays the day before, those of us who recycle newspaper in the proper bin instead of leaving them on the train, those who pay daily for parking, and those of us who write/comment about BART!! :)

Debris on track causing 30+ minutes delay

I was stuck in another long delay today. As soon as I approached that BART station, I knew it was bad news since a train was held there with the doors wide open.

Apparently, the delay was caused by debris on one of the tracks between Rockridge and Lafayette, thus trains were operating on one track only. I didn't think it would take that long, but a 15 minutes delay announcement turned into 30.

How long does it take to remove debris? Why does it take over 30 minutes? I'm sure there is a lot more work involved than I'm thinking of. Is it more than just getting a crew there to remove the coverboard or whatever it was out of the track and get the trains running normally again?

Needless to say, I was not in a chipper mood once I arrived at Civic Center station. I barely made the very last shuttle pick-up. However, I did see an adorable little pug being walked by his owner on the street today which cheered me up!!

Mid-Day BART riders

Since I take BART to work, I get in around 9 and leave around 5:30 or so. In the few occasions that I leave during the day, I usually take my car. That said, my recent encounter during a mid-day BART ride was a bit scary, but not surprising, based on what I've heard and read from everyone.

I had to leave work early to take care of family matters. When I arrived at the Civic Center Station (street level), I noticed immediately that the staircase and surrounding area was occupied by at least 40-50 homeless folks. They were up and about, chatting, laughing, throwing things at each other, or screaming profanities at pedestrians or in some cases, no body. It was a little frightening to walk between them, while cautiously trying to not disrupt their game of catch with an empty bottle and another game of soccer with an empty beer can. On the other hand, I now know what homesless people do in the day time! They have fun and socialize.

When I got down to boarding platform, I noticed more homeless people sleeping and saw a few drunks passed out on the floor. I guess it is cooler inside the station than napping outside under the scorching sun. Who can blame them? I just wonder how they got in?

Once the train arrived, they woke up and joined me in the short 4 car train. My car was fairly empty: me, a few culinary school students in uniform, and them. The drunk men walked in and both found their own 4-seater area to sleep on. One of them kicked some old newspaper out of his way, missed, and almost fell down. He then screamed out an assorment of cuss words while kicking the seat in anger. The other drunk man was already back asleep by this time. He was about 2 rows from me, and I could smell the alcohol.

A few homeless folks also were on the train with me. One immediately walked up and down the trains to ask for money. I didn't feel like reaching for my wallet, but he stood in front of me and kept on asking! To get away from his smell, I ended up giving him all my change. The other homeless folks just slept. One stuck his bare feet out in the aisle.....I sure wish I had a pair of socks to give him, for my sake and his.

It was just interesting to me how different the riders are during the day time! How do they get in? Are they going anywhere? Seems like they just hopped on to sleep or ask for money.

The 1-minute sprint

I've mentioned several times now that I actually connect to a company shuttle at the Civic Center BART station and if BART arrives ontime, I have about 5-minutes before the shuttle arrives. Usually, I have about 3-minutes, which is totally enough time for me to leisurely walk up the two flights of escalators, and across the street to the 8th/Market corner.

Today, I had less than 1 minute to get to the shuttle stop. BART was stop and go the entire way and I was mentally (not quite physically) prepared for an impending 50-second dash once the door opens.

As we approached Civic Center station, I positioned myself 2 inches from the door to get a head start. Once the door opened, I ran. I zipped through people like a motorcycle steering in between cars; shifting right, left and back to right. I ran up the first escalator and cut across slower walkers in front of me...every second counted at this point. My ticket was ready in hand as usual and I made sure I was first to the ticket gate. I sprinted to the 2nd escalator, and saw that there were too many people walking/standing on the escalator so I decided to ran up the stairs. Because I had flats on today, I was able to skip up 2 steps with each step, to make up precious time.

I was really running out of steam by the time I got up there and thought that the shuttle had probably left by now, and I might as well just slow down and look forward to another 15 minutes at Starbucks to pass time. But, there it was.....the white shuttle, with its left turn signal on, just about to leave the stop. I got an extra burst of energy, and ran with all that's left in me across the street. Right as the driver was about to step on the gas, I arrived at the door.

My hard work paid off....I made it. I was huffing and panting from this morning workout, but of course I had to keep my cool once I got in the shuttle. People were already annoyed at me that the driver had to re-open the door and stop the shuttle for me, I certainly didn't want them to snicker at my out of control breathing patterns. So, I tried my best to hold it in, pretending that I made it on the shuttle like any normal person, and took out my Treo, like I normally would.

Inside my head however, I was ecstatic that I beat the clock! I know...ridiculous, but if I had missed the shuttle, I would have had to wait miserably for 15 more minutes while becoming even more bitter about BART.

How much room does one need???

Usually, I'm one of those "nice" passengers that always scoot to the window seat to leave the aisle seat open for the next passenger's convenience; I also always stand up if I'm ever in the aisle seat for the window seat passenger to leave the train; and whenever in a 4 seater quad area (when the seats face each other), I make sure to leave enough leg room for the passenger across from me.

Yesterday afternoon, I was very tired. I wasn't feeling well and had to take two Benadryls (imagine the drowsiness) to fight off symptoms. For once, I did not get up for the person next to me to get out, and instead, just squeezed my legs inwards and towards the side, to make room for him. He was angry at me!! He made many "tsk" sounds, shook his head, shrugged his shoulders as if he is trapped inside and can't get out, and then blurted out, "Don't blame me if I step on your toes," sarcastically.

There was plenty of room for him to walk out of his seat. I'm about 105 pounds-- there is ENOUGH space between my feet and the seat in front of me for him to make his way out.

I've seen plenty of people who never get up for someone to exit their seat and never considerately take the window seat just to make it easier for someone else to take the aisle seat. One of the very few times that I actually didn't get up (for very legitimate reason), I get scolded?

I just gave him a dirty look that pretty much said it all. He ended up getting out just fine, so I don't know what he was complaining about.

The down escalator domino effect

This is something that bugs me to some minor degree on a daily basis, but today, it was bad enough to compel me to write about it!

Those of you who take BART regularly know that people who are in a hurry or just like to walk faster, take the left side of the escalator and stairs, and those who can't walk fast, prefer to stand as the escalator moves, or just have plenty of time to spare, are supposed to take the right side of the escalator or stairs. Common courtesy, widely-accepted by most daily commuters, or at least, it should be.

Well...this scenario I'm about to describe actually apply to people who are more often on the left side, people who like to move more quickly. Do you ever notice the tendency for some escalator riders to suddenly stop walking down along the downward movement of the (down) escalator, just about 5 steps away from the platform? I know it's just 5 steps until we have no more steps to walk down, but just let the movement carry you to your final step...why suddenly stop walking down and put a sudden halt to the 15 people walking behind you to the same speed/downward rhythm? Instead, these people stops walking all of a sudden as we are about 5 to 6 steps away from the lower platform, as if they are scared or hesitant to take the last few steps as the down escalator diminishes. Or, maybe they forget that there is an endless line of people walking down behind them like robots who are not prepared to suddenly stop their bodies from moving (or falling) forward.

Today, I was in the middle of a domino effect that ended badly with a few people on the ground. Luckily, I was about 7 people away from the source of the problem, so I had the time to quickly step aside to avoid a tumble. Everyone was walking down the escalator in a steady pace when this woman decides that she is too close to the end of the escalator steps and must stop. The man behind her, naturally not prepared for this red light, walks right into her, while the woman behind him, walks into him and pushing the first woman down on her knees. At this point, the woman was blocking the entire escalator exit to the platform, causing everyone on their way down to either step into the man and woman #2 already on the ground and join them, or to piss off the escalator riders on the right side by forcefully invade their territory in order to maintain their balance.

It was a big mess!!! There were 3 people on the ground, and many squeezed awkwardly on the right side trying to avoid becoming part of the tumble. As this was happening, a Dublin/Pleasanton train comes and goes. (Luckily, not my train!)

Why? Tell me why must someone stop their walk down the escalator before the steps actually end? I know this scenario is impossible to picture if you don't know what I'm talking about, but my goodness, I've always hate being stuck in back of people like that because usually, my train's door is wide open while they decide to halt their speed, and by the time I actually get down to the platform, the train is gone!!!!

Why wasn't the "No Free Ride" announced on the news?

I watched 3 different newscasts on Sunday evening stating that Monday is yet another Spare the Air day. However, none of the newscasts indicated that no free rides will be offered this time around!!
Good thing I brought my BART ticket anyways today because to my surprise, the ticket gates were up as usual and there were no signs and posters declaring "Ride Free on Spare the AIr Day".
I don't mind not riding free, but shouldn't the newscasts responsibly tell us that portion too? To many of us, we equate "Spare the Air Days" with free rides. To people who don't normally take public transport, the free rides are great incentives! How do you think they felt when they walked up to the ticket gate and found out that had to buy a ticket?

What Spare the Air Day means to a few people I know

Another Spare the Air Day....kind of scary how many we've had the past few weeks....I never realized air quality in the Bay Area could get so horrible. Even if ridership on Spare the Air days doesn't exceed expectation, the campaign is at the very least educational for many of us who know little about the affects of weather have on air quality.

While Spare the Air day is supposed to encourage drivers to take public transportation, I know a few people who think of it in a totally different and twisted manner. They prefer to drive on Spare the Air days because they can get to work faster on the emptier roads and avoid over-crowded trains. They report that the toll plaza is emptier, the parking lots at work and streets are less crowded, their door to door drive time is actually shorter than taking public transport. So why bother...they say.

I think to change these people's poor attitudes, CalTrans (or whatever organization manages the bridges) should charge an extra $5 (ore more since Bay Area drivers may not think much of five bucks) for bridge toll on Spare the Air Days. I also think more companies should proactively partake in Spare the Air days by distributing exact bus/BART routes for employees...or even better, they should charter vans or buses to pick-up employees from stations or bus stops, if there is no direct route to the office by public transport.

Then again, for my selfish reasons, I don't want the trains to become more crowded than they already are. It's not like BART will increase the number of trains in operation to accommodate a significant rise in ridership on Spare the Air days.

Why I drink black coffee

It's never easy going back to work after a relaxing vacation, but today, my BART ride was so smooth that it helped me readjust to a busy schedule. I found prime parking spot at the Orinda lot and caught an earlier train that delivered me 10 minutes prior to my shuttle pick-up. Can't complain about that!

With 10 minutes to spare, I decided to get coffee to jump start my day at the nearby Starbucks. Keep in mind that around the Civic Center BART Station, I'd rather be standing in a long line waiting for coffee than standing by myself at the corner of 8th and Market, waiting for the company shuttle to arrive.

While waiting in line, I saw a homeless man walk in to Starbucks (not a shocker). He then walked straight to the coffee condiments counter, grabbed the carafe of milk and poured it straight into his mouth (a big shocker!) I couldn't tell if his mouth actually touched the carafe but it doens't matter, the site of him drinking the milk was absolutely disgusting that everyone just got their coffee, skipped the creamer/sugar and left.

After he finished the milk, he went for the half-half. I was waiting for a Starbucks barista to tell him to stop, or to change the carafes of milk and half and half on the counter, but they never came. That leads me to think this homeless man is a regular and fills his stomach on Starbucks condiments often.

After he poured the half-half in his mouth, he grabbed a few backs of sugar and left. I believe he made several folks into black coffee drinkers today!

I've been preferring my coffee black lately, and this is just another reason why I should drink my coffee black. You never know who's used the milk before you. I actually witnessed something similar at the Gourmet 360 Burritos in Downtown SF where a homeless man filled up on free salsa at the salsa bar. I never touched the salsa there again.

Leaving for week-long vacation, but let me leave you with some thoughts about the SFO route

As critical as I can be sometimes about what goes on during my daily BART rides, BART does have merits. One in particular that I'd like to point out again is the SFO route. Many of us dread the long trek to SFO and the $10+ per day we must pay for parking. It is not easy to find a friend or parent to drop you off and pick you up, and taxis would be way too expensive if you're coming from the East Bay. And of course, the stuffy and overcrowded Super Shuttle is not exactly a desired alternative either.

I was skeptical when I first heard about the SFO-bound trains. I didn't think it would be convenient to carry luggage on BART and I also questioned the proximity of the BART stop to actual terminals. But, it is so rider-friendly and worth every penny. You arrive in front of the terminal tram, which then takes you to your desired terminal.

Sure, it could get a bit uncomfortable with all your luggage stacked in front of your legs, and yes, you may get a few dirty looks for taking up some free standing room. But, especially for those who take extended trips, $10 RT (approximately) on BART is the most cost-effective solution yet. You don't need to deal with parking lot shuttles that rarely come around, nor the horrible 101 traffic.

The transfer at Balboa station is not bad at all! Usually, the SFO train comes in less than 6 minutes.

From my station, the ride takes about 55 minutes, including the transfer, but you save on gas and extended parking, or taxi/shuttle fare. Of course I don't enjoy riding the train for an hour, but with a good magazine in hand, the time flies by! And on the way back home from SFO, you will always get a seat!

I can't say the same for the Oakland Airport route (AirBART is a bit sketchy), but it definitely is an option I'd consider if I am going way for more than 5 days.

After reading this SFGate article, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/08/BAG26JS31V1.DTL&hw=BART&sn=002&sc=677, I just wanted to share that despite all my grumblings, taking BART to SFO is not bad at all.

Now, do I sound like a BART spokesperson or what? Nah...I'm just telling the truth, as I always do...which will include the bad and the good!

Is Sudoku the solution?

I have seen people at airports and trains completely engrossed in Sudoku. I've seen coworkers exchanging Sudoku puzzles and giving each other advice on which edition is best.

Although BART was on time today (thank goodness!), it was an extremely crowded train. While most people were uncomfortably miserable, I noticed a few passengers solving Sudoku puzzles and appear to be completely in their own peaceful Sudoku world. Granted, they were seated, and the rest of us were standing.

I've never tried Sudoku. Since I've never enjoyed crossword puzzles (unless I am desperate to pass time on a long flight, then I do pick up the In-Flight magazine and try out the crossword), I just assumed that Sudoku would not be enjoyable too.

Sudoku players out there- what's great about it? why is it so engrossing? Please do tell! I really do want to know. If it can make my BART ride go faster, I am willing to give it a shot!

Delays again? Reliability rating must be very low right now

I'm NOT at work right now, instead, I'm at home, waiting out a BART delay because I just couldn't stand there anymore without knowing when trains will start moving and when I might actually get to SF! I am tired of paying for taxi at the Civic Center station in order to get to my office in SOMA because BART has not gotten me to the station in time to catch my company shuttle. Who is going to pay me back for the taxi fare? BART? I don't think so.

Again, there were no signs outside the station telling us that there was a huge delay. I inserted my ticket to go up the platform and waited. The announcer blurted something completely inaudible...and apparently, he said that trains will start moving shortly but expect delays up to 20-30 minutes for Westbound passengers and 45 minutes for Eastbound. So, I left. Unfortunately, I didn't know that BART would take off $4.65 from my ticket???? Was that a mistake? I was too pissed to line up in front of the slow-acting agent to argue this amount. I figured I'll just not buy a latte today to make up for the difference!

It may not sound like a big deal for those of you who don't rely on BART to go to work, but whenever it is delayed, it is a huge inconvenience especially due to the fact that I have a connecting shuttle that doesn't come often enough. Literally, every minute counts for me because I have a very short window to catch the shuttle. And don't suggest that I should leave even earlier to anticipate delays....I already do, and I shouldn't have to inconvenience myself even more (think standing around the lovely Market/8th environment) just to allow BART room for delays.

Right now, if I were asked to rate BART's reliability, it would be 30%. I have had to spend $8 extra, at least 2 a week, on taxi fare to the office! I can't take it anymore....I already pay $8 to take BART to SF, I shouldn't have to pay another $8!

To read about the delay, see: *one correction though, ACTUAL delays westbound were definitely more than 15 minutes. BART under-estimates yet again.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/15013852.htm
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/11/MNGU8JT7PE3.DTL

Coffee drinker deservedly spills hot coffee on himself

BART was just 3 minutes late today...I was able to catch my company shuttle by sprinting up the stairs.

Many people may not be aware of this, or just don't care, but in every BART train cart, there are 3 signs that say "NO FOOD OR DRINKS. VIOLATORS SUBJECT TO FINE". Many passengers don't follow this rule. I see food on BART all the time, and coffee is a constant presence on BART too. Maybe it's because passengers who bring food and drinks don't ever get fined as the sign states. I have yet to see an agent coming through the trains checking for food/drinks and ticketing violators.

This morning, on the opposite side of the cart from where I was sitting, I heard a man frantically shouting, "Coming through, make way, hot beverage here!" as if he is entitled to extra caution and space because he was balancing an overfilled hot cup of coffee. People reluctantly made room for him, mostly because they don't want to be wearing coffee stains themselves all day. One woman with an iPod didn't make room for him, and he yelled, "Excuse me, I got a very hot cup of coffee here, please make room." The train abruptly moves forward, and he spills coffee on his hand. He yelled,"Goddammit! Excuse me miss!" She looked at him and moved. I was hoping and waiting for her to yell back at him, since he is the only one at fault here.

I didn't see what happened afterwards, but I was surprised no one scolded him for bring coffee onboard and creating more stains on the floor and seats! I was way too far (and tired) to yell across the train, but he's lucky he didn't rudely yell at me to move!

Why didn't the ticketing agent stop him? What do they do in there behind the window? Obviously we know they don't have change signs they plaster the "NO CHANGE" on every window panel. They don't stop people from sneaking in through the gates, nor do they stop bikers during commute hours.

I hope just for one week, BART agents will make the effort to ticket passengers who bring food/drinks onboard to teach them a lesson. Otherwise, the rule will never be followed.

Stick-on BART maps

Reader Rafael once again emailed me a very good point. I'm sure all of you guys (especially daily commuters) have seen the stick-on BART maps on the trains. Basically, in every cart, there is one large map board illustrating the entire Bay Area transit systems/connections, and on the left bottom corner, you have one 12X12 (apprx) inch square sticker that is plastered on top of the original map to show the new routes.

It looks cheap and tacky but I understand why they don't change the entire map. It would be too expensive and a poor use of our BART fares to change the map panel every time they extend or update a route (but of course, hiring staff members who could care less about customer service is not a good use of our BART fares either, but they still do it!)

Most of the stick-on maps looked like they were carefully stuck-on -- the routes and colors on the stickers connected perfectly with the routes and colors of the original map board. However, I have seen several maps where it was evident somebody just plastered on the corner sticker and the Fremont route is now part of the Richmond route, Caltrain route connected to nowhere, and the Peninsula has somehow enlarged and shifted to the north.

What if they extended the Dublin/Pleasanton route further? Will they stick a new sticker on the right bottom corner too? That really would be tacky.

BART switching issues...AGAIN!

BART was miserable today. The moment I got to the boarding platform, I sensed something was wrong because of the longer than usual lines! Then of course, I read the electronic bulletin: Passengers should expect at least a 10-15 minute delay due to "ongoing switching problems." What does that mean exactly? Why is it ongoing? Why can't it be fixed during the long weekend when most people are not.

So I stand out there on the platform, wrongly dressed in summer gear when there is not a bit of sun out and the wind is blowing, just waiting for the train to come. For 8 minutes, there was no indication when the next SF bound train is coming. Finally, one arrives, and I thought the worst part is over. The train operator announces again that there are BART delays due to "continuing switching problems" but again, that explanation only brings about more questions from the rest of us that are left unanswered. She then goes on about how several trains have been asked to turn around once we get into SF, but she "thinks" our train will turn at 24th Street station although she "can't be sure." Thanks for this very useful announcement, I thought to myself.

To make matters worse, our train had to stop for several minutes at 12th Street Oakland station in order for passengers from the previous train, who were forced to deboard, to get in our already crowded trains. The ride was rough...with the train pulling into a halt every other minute. It was packed and patience was wearing thin. Passengers pushed and shoved to get out of the train, instead of the usual annoyed but reserved "Excuse me".

At Embarcadero, Montgomery, and Powell, the train would stop for at least 3 minutes. It didn't help that we hadn't received any explanations for why we're holding at each station. I really would like someone to explain why there are ongoing switching problems? Why it hasn't been fixed over the holiday weekend? Why they believe this "ongoing" explanation is acceptable? Because to me, that is not an satisfactory reason for my late arrival at work, my missing the company shuttle pick-ups so I need to pay for taxi to get to work, and my usual 30 minute ride turning into 45 minutes.

Hanging dry cleaning on BART

Reader Rafael emailed me about this and yes, I definitely have seen people who hang their dry-cleaning stack on BART train's overhead safety railing. People with dry-cleaned suits, coats and sweaters, just letting them all hang on the bars, swinging back and forth to the jerking of the train.

They don't care that their dry-cleaning is sweeping the heads of seated passengers, or that the squeeching of the metal hangers against the metal safety railing drives some of us insane! Even worse, when I'm already in a bad mood and standing in a very crowded (and sometimes warm) train, I cannot tolerate the feeling of dry-cleaning plastic covering sticking to my face and arms. The longer the dry-cleaning hangs up there, the farther apart they spread....before you realize, the suit is 3 feet from the shirts. And yet, they do nothing!

How hard is it to just hold the dry-cleaning? Or fold it in half and hold it under your arm? It's heavy, sure, and I understand the metal hangers can hurt your fingers after awhile. In that case, just do your dry-cleaning near home and pick up on weekends! Don't let the rest of us suffer!

Slammed by a MUNI door...

I'm not a regular MUNI rider, so maybe some of you out there who are can help explain this "malfunction". Does MUNI give riders a warning or a quick alarm signal, or a "Doors are closing" announcement like they do on BART, before suddenly slamming the door shut? I was walking out of a MUNI train last night (N Judah, going to the ballpark) and suddenly, without warning, the door slams on my shoulder and shoves me to the edge. The door had JUST opened for us to exit, and within 3 secondds, it slams shut on me?? It was a huge shock and since I'm not a big person, it actually hurt for a few minutes. The worst part was that the platform agent (to stop people from hopping on trains that say "DO NOT BOARD") who saw this incident, just looked at me with no remorse or concern and turned away.

Is this normal? Does the door just slam shut without any beep or announcement? That is dangerous!!!

Another parking lot brawl

OK, it wasn't exactly a brawl, but I wished I had the time to confront him. There was one last space left in the closest reserved parking lot. The problem is, to get to that space and row of parking, you have to enter the one-way entrance, go up another one-way row of spaces, make a left u-turn to go down to the row that this space was in. While I was approaching the space (after making my U turn), some pompous looking man just entered the lot, went against the parking lane direction, and made a sharp and awkward turn into MY space! I was pissed off beyond belief. I honked, I yelled, I parked my car in back of his on purpose to make sure he sees my angered expressions as he made his exit, but he pretended he didn't hear or see me, and just stayed inside his car. BASTARD!

If I wasn't running late, I would have gotten out of my car and tapped his window to give him a piece of my mind. What a jerk! But alas, I was already late to a conference, and still needed to peruse the more distant parking lots for a space.

I made my train, but boy, I was still pissed off for at least half an hour!! URGHHH!! The worst part is I didn't get a chance to get the last word!

Bringing in furniture on BART

Since BART doesn't allow bikes during commute hours (a policy I'm grateful for whenever I'm in a crowded train, but can't help but feel bad for the bikers since they are 'sparing the air' everyday), shouldn't they enforce a similar policy for people who want to bring on large pieces of furniture on BART during peak time?

A coworker of mine shared with me a bizarre experience she had on BART. A weird experience, but it sure doesn't surprise me considering it happened on BART.

She was on a crowded train heading home when a man, who appeared to be mentally disturbed to say it politely, carried a large dining table onto the train. Everyone had to readjust their already uncomfortable standing positions to accommodate this man and his large table.

A few stops into the ride, the man suddenly yells, "WHO THE **CK BROUGHT IN A DINING TABLE?" and walks out of the train, leaving the table in there!

How weird and scary is that? Did he just act that way to dispose of an unwanted table? I doubt it.....why bother carrying the table all the way to do this when there are many other free and easier ways to dispose old furniture? In this case, I'm sure he was mentally disturbed, since he clearly appeared that way. I'm not quite sure what it is about public transportation that attracts the weird and scary, but it does. I've seen people who walk into the train, scream obscenities, and walk out of the train.

Does anything excuse a bad parking job?

As I walked back to my car in the BART lot this afternoon, I noticed a piece of paper on my windshield. It didn't look like a parking ticket, and since I pay a fee for a reserved spot, it doesn't make sense for them to ticket me anyways. As I got closer, I saw that it was a torn piece of notebook paper. I pulled the note off my wipers, and it read, "YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE!! LEARN HOW TO PARK!"

Hmm..did I park poorly and piss someone off today? I walked around my car to see my position, and noticed that I was parked a bit too far to the right, and was touching the right side of the parking line. I guess I was running late today and just pulled into a space sloppily and dashed towards the station. It sure beats repositioning, missing the train, and waiting 10 additional minutes for the next train.

The car to my right is a huge Mountaineer (huge under my standards). I can see how he/she could have had a tough time getting in the space and squeezing out of the driver door, since the car was humongous. But hey, he/she should have just taken another space! It's Friday...the lot is emptier, there should have been plenty of additional spaces for a big SUV.

I touched the right side of the parking line, but I didn't go OVER it. Technically, I was still within my space. If a Corolla, Civic, Pontiac, or Altima parked next to me instead of the Mountaineer, this would not be an issue!

Someone must have had a lot of time to actually get out of the car, take out a piece of notebook paper, write a note and leave it on my window. That, or he/she was quite pissed off. Come on now, I saw the room remaining between our cars, I would have been able to get out of the car effortlessly.

I generally excuse people who park crookedly in the BART parking lot. I understand that they must have been in a rush to catch the train. What I can't excuse are those who take up TWO spaces! That is deliberate and inexcusable. Especially when it's a brand new Porsche- small enough to fit within one space easily, but the driver insists on taking two spaces because he thinks he's entitled and more special than the rest of us!

But me? I'm innocent...it was an innocent carelessness, so I claim. Did I deserve the note? Maybe a little...

BART Blogs a trend?

Just wanted to thank Mike Adamick of Contra Costa Times for including Bartmusings.com in his article about BART bloggers. http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/14886344.htm

I do enjoy peoplewatching on BART and writing about the unique, the inspiring, the annoying, and the frightening things I observe daily as I commute to SF.

Spare the Air Days!

BART passengers generally love Spare the Air Days! To us, it's really like a "passenger appreciation day" when we get free fare for a day or two to make up for all the inconveniences we've experienced for the year. For me, two Spare the Air days save $16 total! These special passenger appreciatoin days put us all in a great mood for a change.

On Spare the Air days, we tend to more easily forgive BART for any delays, over-crowdedness or other mishaps. You just can't complain a whole lot when you're riding for free.

BART train floors and the varying degrees of germ threshold

I saw a woman who let her 3 kids play on the train floors today. The two toddlers, in shorts, were sitting, the baby, in diapers, was lying around, on the worn out and stain-ridden carpet. If you don't know already, the carpeting on the BART trains is extremely filthy. You can find gum, dirt, spit, coffee stains, pen marks, trash, and food stains embedded on the carpeting, not to mention the microbial germs brought onboard by the hundreds of thousands of shoes that occupy these floors!

I know it's not a big deal for kids to immerse themselves in dirt. I mean, they play in sandboxes that are often hidden with old candies and plastic wrappings. But as a BART passenger who hardly even allow two of my fingers to touch the safety poles or the escalator handrail, it was difficult seeing these kids roll around the train floors, stamping their cute little palms on the carpet, and moving their toy trucks across the floors and onto their bodies! I felt the urge to hand them my bottle of Purell, but I held back, fearing the mom will think I am a freak.

Britney Spears recently got scolded by the public for changing her baby's diapers on the floors of a Victoria's Secret. Those floors, although dirty I'm sure, are mopped and polished daily (especially a store in Beverly Hills.) The BART floors might get a vacuum every so often if not a few times a week (gosh, I sure hope so) but it's not like the floors are ever steam cleaned or chemically treated.

I cringe when I see passengers sitting on the floors of BART, yet these kids are treating the train floors like a play den, rolling around and lying their little heads on it. Actually, once I felt so ill that I couldn't stand up during the ride anymore. But even at that point, I didn't sit on the floor, I merely squatted. I don't even let my purse or computer bag touch the floors, although once I allowed the computer bag to rest on my shoes since I was so tired from the long work day.

I've seen a few trains with plastic floors and plastic seats. I think that's probably the better way to go for future BART trains. It's much easier to mop and clean up stains on plastic and the trains will just last longer and look more appealing!

Baking in another delayed BART ride

My usual 30 minute-ride today took over 60 minutes! Apparently there was an "incident" at Balboa Park causing delays between East Bay and SF both ways. I knew something was going on as soon as I approached the Orinda platform. The line was significantly longer than usual. Luckily, I got the last seat on the train and had a new issue of US Weekly in hand to help me deal with the long ride that was about to take place. It was stop and go all the way. By 12th Street Oakland stop, there was barely any standing room left on the train. Standing passengers' computer bags kept on hitting me on the head. They were so close to my seat that I could see the pages of my magazine blowing up and down to their breathing patterns. Very gross.

I would really like to know how BART train temperature is controlled. Does the train operator have a personal fan up in the controller room or something because he/she has no idea when train temperature becomes unbearable? Why is the AC not on full force in a situation like today when the train is likely over maximum capacity, the sun is heating up, people are sweating inside, and body odors are brewing? The air coming from the BART fan felt warm and stale. Passengers were getting grumpy, shaking their heads constantly, rolling their eyes and making "tsk" sounds every time the train comes to yet another sudden stop.

The ride was long and unpleasant, to say the least. Meanwhile, the length of delay was increased with each announcement. By the time I finally got to Civic Center, I had been on the train for 65 minutes.

Luckily, I had a seat and my reading indulgence, US Weekly, to get me through the long ride. In addition to being totally engrossed in the useless celebrity gossips, the perfume samples in the magazine helped mask the sweat scents all around me.

Here's some info about today's BART incident: http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/14861329.htm

Inflation affects everyone, even the homeless!

As you know, Civic Center BART station is a popular camp ground for the homeless. It's tough sometimes seeing them there in the rain. Long ago, I used to give change daily, which eventually turned into a weekly amount but in a bigger sum. After awhile, I started seeing the same folks there, and on occasions with a beer bottle in hand. I became a bit disheartened after that observation and stopped giving money away on a regular basis, and instead only when someone appears to be truly in need of a meal.

After a restful weekend, I was in a positive and giving mood, and decided on the train that I would give whatever quarters I had in my wallet to the homeless man who always stands next to the 8th Street side of the station exit. I had 3 quarters, not much, but I figured he could probably use it to buy something at the Burger King across the street. I dropped the quarters in his cup, and he said, "Come on, you got more than that?" I was caught by surprise. I said, "no, that's the change I have." He responded, "Man, how am I supposed to live with this?" I said, "Sorry, that's all I have" and dashed across the street.

When did the homeless population become so picky with the amount you give? I would think any amount has the potential to help someone. I understand that 75 cents can't get you much these days, but it's only a quarter away from a cheeseburger at McDonald's.

But who can blame him? Inflation certainly has hurt us all! 75 cents can't even get you over 8 miles by car anymore with today's gas prices.

Wouldn't it be nice if we knew when the next train is coming as we are pulling into the parking lot?

If I get $1 for everytime I run like an Olympic sprinter from the parking lot into the station and up the escalator to the platform, only to find out my train has been delayed, I would have enough money for a nice pair of shoes (think Via Spiga not quite yet Jimmy Choos) every two months!

I really wish that someday, BART stations would catch up to 21st century technology and have a scrolling monitor at the parking lot entrace, or even better, if they could offer riders up-to-the-minute BART daily schedules and delays via text message, it would really save many passengers an unnecessary sprint to the platform.

Yes, I know that we have monitors on the platform, but what good do they do if we are already lining up there, waiting for a delayed train to arrive?

The "Handicapped" Pecking Order

I saw an elderly, fragile-looking woman standing on BART today, and gave up my seat (I was seated in one of the seats by the door that are designated for handicapped or elderly anyways) for her use. At that moment, a man in his 30s, fully healthy, except he had a big cast on his foot, swooped in for my seat before the woman could.

The old woman got upset and said, "This is for the elderly", and gestures for him to get off. While he said, "Oh no you don't, see my cast on my ankle? I am handicapped rignt now." He wouldn't get up, and she wouldn't quit with her comments about how she is entitled to this seat. Finally, someone else got up to give the elderly woman his seat.

This brings up an interesting debate! Hypothetically, who should get the seat? An elderly person who has "shaky" legs? Or an injured, otherwise capable person who is balancing on two crutches with no free hands? (which was NOT the case with this man...he should have given her the seat since he could have easily balanced off one foot while leaning against the wall!) The elderly person may have tired legs, but he/she has the free hands to hold on to a bar while standing. The injured person with crutches may be naturally healthier and younger, he/she does not have the use of the legs or arms. Is there an order that we must follow when giving up seats? Is the order determined by age and general state of health, or by who fits more into the definition of "handicapped" at the very moment?

Watch out for the recycled newspaper bin!

I don't know why it took me this long to write about the recycled newspaper bins situated in every BART station. Basically, these bins are located right next to an escalator, so passengers who've already read the papers can toss it in the bin to recycle. This way, the BART trains won't be piled with hundreds of sets of newspapers. What these bins have also become is really quite interesting. New passengers throughout the day know to look into these bins to grab a used (but normally in good condition) copy of today's paper. Why not? It's free and it's eco-friendly to use recycled products.

The problem is, a lot of BART passengers are inconsiderate. They toss leftover coffee (first of all, coffee is actually not allowed on BART), food (neither is food), ticket receipts, gum, and anything else they'd like to get rid of, into these bins. The only time I've ever looked into the bin for newspaper became my last because I found a piece of gum stuck on the top pile of paper. Today, I saw a man hurl out a significant and weighty piece of phlegm and spit it into the bin. Luckily I didn't have to see the output closely, but judging by the long and deep hurl up the throat, I already know that whoever looks into the newspaper bin will find an unpleasant surprise.

Why can't people just follow the rules?

when a bad day turns into a very bad day

I got up earlier this mornig to catch an earlier train because I have an important meeting at 9am where my boss and other important folks will be attending. As soon as I got on the train, I heard the announcement that there are significant delays en route to SF. It's ok, I thought to myself, I got on early so there is plenty of time to spare. But of course, late becomes very late, and by the time I got to Civic Center station, I had 30 seconds until the shuttle pick up time, in order to make it to the office BEFORE 9am. I ran like mad! I purposely wore flats today for this purpose. I sprinted up 3 flihgts of stairs only to see the shuttle over 200 yards away from the pick-up area. I missed it!

By this time, I realized that I will have to be a few minutes late to the meeting. I stop by Starbucks to get a cup of coffee. Well, of course, I spill the coffee on my sleeves, and drop contents of my purse all over the cafe while wiping myself. Finally, 15 minutes passed, and I get on the 9am shuttle. I figured, I might just be 5 minutes late to the meeting, but since people start meeting late all the time, this just might be my lucky day. To my dismay, the lights, at every single block, turns red right when the shuttle approached. A usual 5 minute ride turned into 10.

Once I got to the office, I had my badge prepared to open the door. BUT....my badge no longer works. So there I was, standing at the door, with my bag in one hand, coffee in the other helplessly hoping for another employee to let me in.

Finally, I get in, joined the meeting late while catching my breath. While no one else seemed to care that I was a few minutes late, I felt miserable! I did everything I could to try to offset delays- I got up early, I hopped an early train, I wore "running" shoes on purpose in case I needed to dash for the shuttle, and still.....I arrived 11 minutes late. Not to mention I now am wearing a huge brown stain on my pink sweater.

Hope the day gets better from here on.

Back from vacation

Just returned from a 8-day vacation in Eastern Europe. The trip absolutely met my expectations. One particular experience actually made me appreciate BART. We rode the train in between cities and somehow mistakenly got ticketed to sit in a smoking cart! At first, we thought, well, maybe these passengers won't actually be smoking during the 4-hour ride, but we quickly realized that smoking train means all passengers in the cart WILL chainsmoke, packs after packs. The space was so confined that quickly, I lost my sense of smell. I see lit cigarettes all around me. The heavy smoke filled up the cart.

I take it for granted that California enforces a non-smoking environment in transportation, restuarants, and common areas. Everytime I leave the country, I realize how lucky I am that I don't need to deal with second-hand smoke much in the SF Bay Area. Smokers are like pariahs in the Bay Area, while non-smokers are such in Europe.

Rule of Silence (part 2)

I seem to have been misunderstood by readers! "Unspoken rule of silence" entry has apparently upset a few people because they don't understand why I'm so "snotty", "antisocial", or "rude" when people are just trying to be friendly to me by offering me advice or striking a conversation about a destination I'm about to visit.

I don't ignore these people who are offering me their tips and memories of Prague! I do acknowledge them with short responses like, "cool." I just don't like it when people ask me about where I'm staying, what I plan to do there, what the weather is like, when I'm going, how long, and itty bitty details about my personal trip! Especially since they are strangers, I really don't feel like getting into a conversation about this, or anything really.

They say, "Oh Prague is the most beautiful place! You'll love it", I say "cool." They say, "You have to see X palace," I say "yeah." Isn't that polite enough?

Allergies and cheap cologne

As I am writing this entry, my nose is completely plugged up, red, and my eyes, dripping with tears. Yep, morning allergies. What made my ride even worse today was the overbearing smell of cheap Walgreen-brand equivalent cologne that the man next to me was drenched with. There were 4 other seats open when I sat down, and during the whole ride, I regretted taking the one that I was in.

The scent was nasty- it was like a very poor combination of "fragrances", that can only be sold in drugstores. It was a smell fit for a greasy, sweaty, and portly hick (the NASCAR-branded cologne comes to mind...can you believe they actually came out with a NASCAR cologne?) Each time I breathed in, my nose would itch so hard that it hurts, followed by a deep, hard sneeze. I was sneezing nonstop during the ride, attracting many glares from fellow passengers.

It was a rough ride to say the least.

The unspoken rule of silence

Passengers seated on BART generally don't talk to each other, and people prefer it that way. I know I do. On occasions, when BART is really uncomfortably crowded, we make one-sentence comments to each other, like, "it's going to be a long ride", or "don't think it could get worse than this." And even more seldomly, people would ask me, "is that a good book? I've been thinking of getting it." I would then say, yes or no, followed by a one-sentence reasoning. I don't mind yes/no questions so much, as long as they don't have a follow-up question.

I generally don't want people to talk to me. I've been reading a travel guide on Eastern Europe (book is called Travel Guide to Vienna, Prague and Budapest), and for some reason, it has drawn a lot of unwanted conversations. People would ask me, are you going to Prague? I would bluntly answer, YES, and think to myself, "duh, it says that on the book" and wish that they won't talk to me anymore. Then, they would volunteer comments like, "oh it's beautiful there, you will love it!" or "Oh, I always wanted to go there!" or "make sure you see X or X". vSome people would even go a step further and ask me, "when are you going?" or "where are you staying?"

Don't they get it? I don't want to talk to them! I don't want their opinions and I don't wish to share my travel plans and details with them!! The worst part is, people who try to start conversations are usually the less normal (don't want to say abnormal) passengers.

I see people with Spain or France travel guides and I don't ever bother them and volunteer my personal travel experience! BART is just not the place to have conversations. If they need travel tips, they can go to Tripadvisor, Frommers or whatever! They don't need it from a complete stranger.

A few changes to my BART ride

Wow, it sure has been awhile since my last entry! The past couple of weeks have been full of changes. I now live one stop closer to SF, making my ride 5 minutes shorter, but coincidentally, I've returned to my old job, extending my ride by 5 more minutes, dropping me off smack in the middle of the drug addict, alcoholic, and homeless central, also known as Civic Center BART Station.

For those of you who have read my blog from the very beginning, these tales might sound familiar. Yep, I'm now hopping around "puddles" again in the morning. No, not rain puddles, but urine puddles! I am now again at the mercy of BART delivering me on-time in the morning so I can catch the connecting shuttle to work....the very company shuttle that inexplicably has a 30-minute gap between pickups during peak morning time (when I arrive), yet just 15 minutes during all other times!!

But who am I to complain? A new home and a happier workplace. Besides, with my horrible morning allergies these days, I can't smell the pee and barf all around the station's exits anyways.

Another inconsiderate behavior on BART

Just when I thought I had pretty much listed any and every possible inconsiderate passenger behavior on BART, a new observation took place to me that put me back to reality.

In the middle of a crowded morning train, a man seated near me took out a gold nail clipper and started clipping away his fingernails!!! Even worse, he didn't make ANY attempts to catch the sick clippings, or try to lower his nail cutting position to a more discrete angle. He was clipping away one by one at at chest-level while the rest of us watched his clippings fly away like ticks, one after another. It was sickening.

I would have said something but I was actually seated in back of him, so I wasn't directly affected by the clippings. I was also too tired to cause a scene, but even any of the nail clippings landed on my body, I would probably have yelled at him instantly.

Inspiration on BART

I saw something inspirational today on BART. A man, probabably in his 40s, a plumber, painter, or construction worker of some type, based on his attire, hands/fingernails and accompanying toolbox, was intensely studying algebra on BART. He had a small notepad on one hand, a huge algebra textbook on his lap, and was solving equations one after another. He was concentrating hard, and never looked up once.

Maybe he's studying to tutor his kids, maybe it's just for personal reasons to prove to himself that he can tackle any obstacle, or maybe he's studying to complete his high school degree, whatever the reason may be, I have a ton of respect for what he's doing!!

Rock-a-Bye (plastic) Baby....

Shocking revelation during my morning ride. In the handicapped reserved seat was a middle aged woman, with a small, older baby carriage, and 3 beach bags filled with things. In her arm, she carefully cradled a baby wrapped in a blanket. The whole time, she was talking to the baby, "hi sweet pea, we're almost there. just sleep tight. almost there, honey. mommy loves you. yes, she does!" It was really cute. I didn't see the baby but I thought, this is a nice way to start my day, seeing a mom totally loving her newborn. So sweet. SO I THOUGHT.....

Before I exited the train, I smiled at her and made an effort to try to smile at her baby too. Instead, I was horrified. The baby was a pinkish plastic doll, wrapped in a baby blue and yellow blanket. I was in disbelief. I looked twice, three times....finally confirmed that this baby is fake! She was talking to a plastic doll the whole time. I didn't have much time before the door opened to examine the woman again to see if she just might be a little mental. She didn't look crazy, the only thing strange about her was the extremely old carriage and the 3 very large and full bags of things. I didn't think anything of it because maybe she is reusing an older carriage, and maybe she had to carry diapers, toys, clothing..etc. for the baby.

I am not sure what to think....soon after I got to work, I forgot about the incident. But, it was frightening because the way she was speaking to this 'baby" was as if she loved her dearly and that this child was the most important thing to her in this world.

Maybe she never recovered from a death of a child many years ago? I don't know..but this was a bit shocking and sad to see.

Skunk onboard

A passenger this morning must have stepped on some skunk roadkill or had just been sprayed by a skunk because that entire section of the train (sadly, my section) smelled like a skunk! It was unbearable. Not even breathing underneath my magazine helped. The scent seemed to have permeated through the cloth on the seats and the carpet...you cannot escape it. After I got off, I was very concerned that it was on my clothes. I couldn't tell though, after sniffing my coat and sweater multiple times. So far, no one has told me I smell like a skunk, so I guess I'm OK for now.

On a different matter, I found out from a friend who has family members working for BART that BART employees are quite well paid (that I've known or at least suspected). He has an aunt and uncle who worked as front-office staff and were paid very handsomely. However, he also told me that he had a cousin who worked for BART for a brief time (got the job because of the family connection.) He worked as the person who took out change from the ticket/change dispensers. My friend said his cousin got paid $25-$30 an hour...and that was like 5 years ago!!! I have not personally verified these numbers but assuming this is all true, why must we pay $25-$30 an hour (5 years ago, so today probably over $35) to a change attendee?! I've only heard rumors about the train operators' wages and the station agents' wages and how high they are....but knowing this hourly wage, I can only imagine theirs to be quadrupled this pay rate, if not more.

Get a room, please!

Before I get into my BART experience today, I'd like to point out that this is not a matter of heterosexual PDA (public display of affections) or homosexual PDA. It just is unacceptable and inconsiderate to subject your surrounding passengers to excessive physical displays of love.

Today, in a delayed, overly-crowded train, I was standing uncomfortably between a mass of people, and just happened to be situated in front of a gay couple seated in the designated senior/handicapped seats. Cool, happy couple, I thought, nice to see that love exists, even on BART. That is until they started rubbing and stroking each other's thighs up and down, and then massaging each other's necks and making all sorts of sounds!! At every stop, they go into massive make-out sessions, making the rest of us standing literally 5 inches away from them extremely uncomfortable. Finally, one of them had arrived at his stop I guess, and they gave each other a long passionate good-bye kiss. Suddenly, the recorded train message announced, "stand clear of the doors". The guy ran out frantically, wiping his mouth, while his boyfriend, yelled, "I love you! I'll call you tonight!"

I am all for love, but I can't stand it when couples have to act out their love in a confined, crowded space like a rush-hour BART train!!

I once cringed the whole trip because a girl was seated on top of her boyfriend (straddling), and making out in front of everybody. It was sick, inconsiderate, and classless. Not to mention they left one seat unused but yet unusable!

I see couples who commute together on BART all the time. Usually, they sit (or stand) together, maybe hold hands, and give each other a quick good-bye peck when they part. I appreciate it when couples are discrete. I mean, keep your PDA at home!

A couple side notes:
* Embarcadero escalators are STILL broken!!!
* Rain has finally stopped, but BART trains are still delayed! So I guess they can't blame rain now...what can they blame the delays on?

A not-so-pleasant view from the train

I didn't bring any reading materials today and finished going through my Blackberry early, so I decided to look out the window, relax, and enjoy the view! What I saw today was absolutely appalling!! Don't get me wrong, the Bay Area is beautiful! I think SF is one of the most beautiful cities in the world!!! The bay view on a sunny day will make any one smile and feel grateful that they live here. But, there is no view of the Bay from BART. The trains travel underneath groundlevel 50% of the time on the East Bay to SF routes.

Today..it was rainy again...it's been raining nonstop since February. Looking outside the window, I saw a homeless man, with his pants down, rear-end bearing, squatting, taking a #2 underneath the freeway, right before we go underground to the Oakland 19th Street BART exit. Thankfully I didn't actually see whether anything has come out yet, and I fear for the passengers in the train cart behind mine because if they are looking outside the window, they will no doubt be seeing something coming from this man.

I always see homeless people sleeping in that area, but this is the first time I saw one "going to the bathroom." I guess they must relieve themselves somewhere!

A shocking view for me. I think I should stick with reading magazines or books from now on. The view from BART just isn't that pleasant.

Update on the Embarcadero escalator status- it's STILL broken. It's been broken for 2 weeks now.

Welcome to SF, buddy!

Just how tourist-friendly is BART and the Bay Area? Judging by today's observation, I would have to say not very. A man, who appears to be a tourist (he has a Euro accent, a huge backpack and 3 luggage pieces), looks at the train status sign, confused. The sign is flashing, "SFO 10 car train." He looks up at the sign, then inside the train, extremely tentative to step inside. He finally asks a passenger inside, "Does this go to San Francisco?" To my surprise, the passenger (standing by the door) responds, "No!" The tourist then says, "What's SFO? Not SF? No?" The passenger says, "No. Wrong train buddy." This man looked like a normal commuter so he must know that a SFO train passes by SF! I was too far from the conversation to yell out that yes, this does pass by all the SF stations! Apparently, no one else wanted to help out this tourist.

Finally, the tourist turns way from the train, asks someone standing in line at the station. As the train was pulling away, I am guessing by his expression that he found out that this train DOES go to SF, and he was the subject of a mean joke. He could only watch the train leave without him.

Not a great impression for the tourist to have of the SF Bay Area.

Tune-less on BART? Anyone else suffering from defective Nano? There is a solution!

Once upon a time, I used to rely on my iPod mini to block out the noise around me on BART. I would nod my head lightly to Usher, or walk down memory lane with some Luniz and Warren G., or soak in my despair with Enya. It's been about 6 months since I've been able to enjoy music on BART...ever since I gave away my mini iPod when I got my new Nano. However, within a day, I realized the on/off switch was busted. I could not turn it off once I took it off the charger. Or if I turned it off, I can't turn it on again until I put the charger back on! I would just use it once...let the battery run out. It became a one-time use only deal and then the Nano goes back on the charger before I can use it again.

It totally sucked!! I couldn't keep up with the daily charge requirement and as usual, I never keep receipts or those registration cards they give you in the box, so I figured it would be useless going to the Apple store since they are such sticklers on receipts. All I want to do is buy a new product that works for at least a year or two!!

I gave up...I accepted my bad luck and just figured that my new Nano had a permanent defect and there was nothing I can do about it. I've been tune-less on BART since.

HOWEVER...my coworker showed me that Apple actually CARES about you and that the defective on/off button on Nano was a known defect. There is a way to send back the defective Nano without a receipt and get a new one.

To find out about the Nano recall, just register at: http://depot.info.apple.com/ipod/

It was simple! Within a day, I got a DHL box to send in my defective Nano. I finally dropped off the box and according to my coworker, I will get a new Nano within 2 days. We'll see...but this is great news nonetheless.

Another wet day!

Today, it wasn't just raining, it was pouring! The train was just 3-4 minutes delayed but it was completely packed with soaked passengers. Wet umbrellas and raincoats were sticking to my clothes, purse, and worst of all, my magazine! It was infuriating seeing the pages of my new US Weekly absorb the leftover drain drops off people's raincoats as they squeezed into the train.

The most frustrating part of the journey this morning was the Embarcadero Station's out of service escalators. These escalators (both sides) were out of service yesterday AND today! The past two days, the staircase have caused a huge line (or actually mass of people in chaos), causing at least a 3 minute delay exiting the station. You've got people with suitcases who have to carry it up the stairs. You've got people who are physically unable to walk up the stairs at a normal pace. You've got people who are also coming DOWN the stairs from streetlevel. Everyone is sharing a staircase that is about 4 feet wide. And ADD umbrellas on top of everyone's head and you've got a serious wet, crowded mess. The man in front of me was using a huge golf umbrella and the tips kept on poking at me that I had to protect my head with my flimsy miniature umbrella. He had no clue that his oversized umbrella was about to poke my eyes out.

Then, suddenly, the lines of people slow moving upwards came to a halt. This sudden stop caused everyone walking up the stairs to jam into the person in front. It was a cluster ****! The woman in back of me stepped on my right shoe causing me to trip and push the man in front for balance. I felt his glare, but the oversized umbrella saved me from seeing his pissed off face.

I walked into the office this morning with the bottom 2 inches of my pants wet. It was impossible today to avoid puddles since they've become mini ponds.

I just hope the escalators will be fixed tomorrow.