California Redux
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote about my worries pertaining to my first transnational trip. I’ve come a long way since then. Some forms of mass transportation still frighten me. I worry about ever having to ride a train on my own, for example, because what if I miss my stop and have to do the whole circuit again and then am so embarrassed and feeling provincial enough that in my ducking and hiding away, I miss my stop again on the next circuit and eventually, I wind up riding for six or eight hours that I don’t have enough cash to pay for and I have to take a job as a ticket-puncher on the train to work off my debt and this exascerbates my feelings of stupidity and provinciality and I’m afraid to go back to my office when I finally work off my debt because after all I’ve missed most of a day of work doing something pretty dumb and so, well, that’s why I’m not taking the train into San Francisco any time soon.
But air travel I’ve pretty much got down pat by now.
Will said,
July 15, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
I admit that the first time I rode BART (the Bay Area Rapit Transit system), I had similar fears. Not about becoming a ticket puncher (too funny!), but missing my stop and all. After just having spent the better part of January commuting back and forth between Sacramento and San Francisco (and other Bay Area cities), I can assure you that your fears are mostly groundless. It actually was MUCH better than flying (let alone driving) for me.
AMTRAK does a great job of announcing all the stops before you get there. The conductors (or “ticket punchers” as you called them) are friendly and helpful — even at 4:30 in the morning, (ugh!). The transfer to the bus into San Francisco itself was very easy (though knowing which of the two busses to board was a little confusing the first time, but the bus drivers were helpful, too).
The AMTRAK to BART connection was a little scarier because there are no conductors on BART, and the person at the information booth was less than informational. If you read the signs and use a bit of common sense, it all works out though. BART also has a handy little application for your PDA so that you can carry the schedules, maps, and fares around with you. Sure I looked geeky (or was I just looking cool and trendy and the geekiness was all in my head?), but nobody seemed to care. Everyone else was too busy listening to their iPods to care what I was doing. BART is rather noisy, so something soothing for the ears IS helpful.
In the San Jose area the VTA light rail is very nice. It’s totally clean and feels very safe. The station announcements are fully automated and are both verbal and displayed on a scrolling LED marquee. I read that my transfer from AMTRAK was valid for my fare, but I never got a chance to test that. The only time I saw the fare inspectors, they took off after some young punks who skipped the train when they saw the inspectors coming (the whole train laughed at the kids because they were caught).
The best thing to do is use http://511.org before you go or dial 511 from your cell phone or (gasp!) a pay phone when you are there. 511.org has ALL the routing, fares, maps, and planning information you could ever need. Tell it where you are coming from, where you are going, and what time it all needs to happen, and they walk you right through it. Just grab a few alternates, too, just in case one of the links (usually the train or a bus) is late due to traffic. (Yes, trains suffer from traffic, too.)
I just love being able to work and relax without fighting the traffic. It may take longer than driving (not always if the traffic is really bad), but it’s also good for the environment. My whole outlook on public mass transit has improved a lot since all that travelling in January. Now if only Sacramento would improve their system to the same level.
Sorry my reply is so long. Your post inspired me. *blush*
AlexB said,
July 15, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
I have discovered that the more things you experience, the less ‘unreasonable’ fears you have in the future for doing the same or samey things. What you know makes you stronger, most of the times.
Very corny, but it works for me.