A Ray of Hope - 45

I have to admit to a pleasant ride on the 45 this evening. I caught it much later than I usually do... closer to 7:00. But during these long summer days when the sun shines later (when it actually does come out), it turns out you CAN have a pleasant ride on Muni. I attribute this to the hour and day. There weren't very many people on the bus.

I zoned out a little and before I knew it, we were climbing Russian Hill and from my side-facing driver-side seat, I caught glimpses of our beautiful bay. The sun was still fairly high, the bay was blue, Alcatraz was a bright off-white in the sunshine, and flecks of white sail boats dotted the water. The evening view made the day's mostly gray sky worth it.

A 45 kind of day

Ok. I know I said that the 41 would be my commute line, but there is no getting around using the 45 from where I live - particularly when 1) I'm running late in the morning and just need to pray that Chinatown will allow the 45 to get to Market quicker than the 41 as its supposed to and 2) after a certain time on each side of the midday sun, there's just no choice.

This morning, I thought I was just going to take the 45 for the morning. I was in a rush and it just got on the first bus that came along. At first, it seemed like perhaps the typical Chinatown shoppers, but no. Even though you luck out and get a not-so-crowded ride through Chinatown, there's ALWAYS something that makes the ride unpleasant. Today, it was an old man across the aisle from me coughing into the middle of the aisle. I was sitting in the front seats that face each other. Anyone who knows me will know how torturous this was for me. I made no secret of covering my nose and mouth with my sleeve since he made no effort to cover his mouth from coughing and spittle. The second time he did it, I got up and moved to stand by the back door.

A few choice Chinese phrases that would be useful for me to learn:

"Hey! Didn't yo' mama ever teach you to cover your mouth when you cough?" (I admit, I have a stronger form of this phrase I would like to translate, but probably would never be able to bring myself to say it to an old person.)

"Don't you see all the people?? Move back!"

"Don't push me! You think the bus is going to leave before everyone gets off?!"

or more effectively,

"You better back off, man/lady"

This evening, instead of getting on the 41 toward home, I got on the F line toward the Embarcadero for a little drink in the sun with a friend. How is it that a bunch of tourists walking around all day smell better than the guy who sat next to me on the 45 on my way home?? It was chilly after drinks so I took the F back to the 45 thinking that Chinatown wouldn't be so bad at this time. It wasn't. The "choice" people on the bus, like I said, ALWAYS fodder for a blog entry.

Two stops into my journey, a yuppie looking guy sits next to me with the worst mix of smoke and B.O. I think I was lucky that the smoke was stronger. Across the way from me (again in the front seats), an old dainty looking Chinese woman had half of her hand in her month using a toothpick on what must have been an archaeological dig to dig out some part of the King TUT exhibit because there is NO reason why someone should go at their teeth with a toothpick in public transportation like that. After the salvation stop of Stockton/Columbus, Stinky got off the bus and the archaeologist pivoted around so that her back was to everyone in the bus. I thought she was turning to give herself some privacy, but no. She was using the window as a mirror to help her dig! Finally, at the top of Russian Hill, she pulled the wire to request a stop... with the same fingers that were once in her mouth and were still clutching the steadfast toothpick.

And my friends sometimes tease me about how often I use Purell after getting off the bus!

45 Stockton

That does it! After observations this week, I will have to say that comfort wise, the 41 is the line for me. Not that I won't keep trying combinations of lines but after my 45 experiences this week, I have to admit it. The 45 isn't bad until it gets to the head of Chinatown at Stockton and Columbus. Then masses of people with pink plastic bags board without any care for personal space or if you are holding something fragile. Absolutely zero concern. You could be pregnant and holding a birthday cake and they will shove you aside. 

That said, there is a strange thing about the underground near the Embarcadero station. This is where I switch lines to get to work. On the way home, I cannot understand why, without fail, the train stops just as it enters the station to wait for the previous train to leave. Don't they time these things? It concerns me that this is a daily occurence. Why does it take so long for that previous train to leave? It happens no matter what time I get on the train. Even if its a train ending at Embarcadero, it doesn't take more than a few moments to do a sweep to see if anyone's left on the train. It's even less fathomable, when the train is due to go all the way to Caltrain or Sunnydale, that it takes so long. Why doesn't it take the same amount of time as everywhere else?

Loony. 

The highlight of this MUNI week, however, was when a driver (on the 41 of course) passed some people at a stop telling them that it was too full and that another bus was coming shortly. I know it must suck for those people waiting, but I seriously think it is a hazard to squeeze people in the way they do. There should be a limit. And hey... if we need more buses, all the better! I'm sure people out there could use the job right? Maybe I would feel differently about passing people up at night, but I have never seen a bus congested at night like they are at rush hour.

19 Polk

Oh the dilemma. It's been a while since I've taken the 19. As you may have previously read, I loathe this line for its filth and more than its share of people with imaginary friends. However, it does get me home faster and I needed to get to a class. I did my quasi-sit in hopes of not touching as many surfaces as I had to. 

Are more people taking the bus? This is good news for the environment, but not so good for my feet. I typically get a seat in the morning since I am fairly near the start of my line, but I stood the whole way to work. Again in the afternoon on the 19, it was crowded, but at least I snagged a seat. Perhaps I shouldn't be to happy about it. I hardly sat on it anyway. 

At any rate, my question of the day is: Do all Muni drivers have spastic feet? Because I have yet to be on a bus where the drive isn't comprised of lurches rather than a smooth acceleration and a deceleration (instead of stomping on the brakes). It can't be good maintenance-wise for the bus and it is most certainly not good for my insides. This is true of all the above ground buses. I laughed as I got on the underground this morning. I had picked up an Examiner and there on the front page, a Muni driver with a headline stating that the city is cracking down on bad drivers. I'm curious what their definition of bad is because my stomach votes for the lurch-y drivers although I would hope they find the red light runners and the ones that screw up the timetables. How often do you suppose city decision makers take the bus?

The 45

Why is it so hard for people to bathe themselves or do something to prevent them from reeking on public transportation? Why?

Why also, when, miraculously, half the bus is empty must two people sit next to me talking in loud voices? It could have been a nice ride to work. It was not. Picture this: I am in the aisle seat on a half-empty bus and two people board talking well above normal volume in Vietnamese. Instead of taking 2 adjacent empty seats, the woman decides to squeeze by me to sit in the window seat while her companion sits in front of me. To talk to each other, he then sits sideways in the front seat so his legs are in the aisle and he twists to talk ACROSS me... loudly... in VIETNAMESE... to the girl! Why?? I don't even get to know what topic can cause people to act like this. Not that I could have cared any less, but if I knew they were talking about an unfair situation or a huge problem, I might have felt more forgiving. 

Naturally, I moved seats since there were so many. Did the guy move to sit next to the girl? NO!!! They continued to yell to each other. 

Then, when my stop came up, whoever was behind me pushing me out. The people who know me know that I am NOT a slow mover - particularly when I am on my way to work. I can sprint with the best of them in heels carrying a large tote bag and a coffee. I was moving faster than this huge guy eventually did. Yet he felt the need to shove me out... and I WAS wearing heels at the time. 

It's worth repeating: many times, the problems with MUNI are the passengers themselves. I blame society which has not only lost track, but forgotten what it is to have manners. There once was a time when people didn't have to write to a newspaper columnist to get advice on manners, it was just learned.

The 41 - The Sardine Line

I generally don't mind having to go out of my way for this line because the time difference between it and the other lines isn't that great and after my first try, on which the bus wasn't very crowded and everyone was quiet, I thought it might be a mainstay. Now I'm not so sure.

As usual, I'm able to find a seat at my stop, but this morning, there seemed to be more people than usual. Was it the rain? How could it be? It rained last week and those rides were nowhere near like this one. Funny, it arrived on time but instead of the 30/40 minutes it should have taken me to get to work, it took me an HOUR! What's worse, I wasn't even paying attention to the time since I boarded the bus that was a little earlier than I needed, I thought I would be fine. Had I known how late we were, I would have called my boss!

What slowed us down was our driver. She had good intentions of getting everyone at each stop on board, but the method was lacking. Only 5 stops away from where I got on, she stopped for 5 minutes and said she would not continue unless we found a way to get everyone on board and behind the yellow line at the front of the bus. I could see some space in the back for people to fill in, but there wasn't a lot of it. Yet she made people pile in. She definitely did NOT move until everyone at each stop was on her bus. She was so worried about the yellow line, but I can't imagine that packing a bus to that extent is safe at all. 

I, being vertically challenged myself, sympathized with a short woman who was fighting to stay near a pole because she wouldn't be able to reach the overhead pole to hang on. I don't think anyone considered that. I also felt for the people standing. I hate standing on the bus, but to be packed in like sardines is tragedy. Who is responsible if someone gets hurt from the pressure? To top off the driver's insanity in packing too many people in, she drove the standard Muni method... gas-lurch-to-a-quick-stop-gas-lurch-gas-lurch. When the overhead recording says "Please Hold On", you better grab the nearest pole or sturdy passenger you can!

Anyway, I rushed to my transfer, got to work, and looked at my clock. 20 minutes late! It had taken me an HOUR to go the same distance in the same weather as I had been in all last week. I blame this driver. Next time, I will be looking for name tags!

Choosing A Line

My particular story began last month when a new job took me to a locale that was not parking or carpool friendly. I've been trying different routes and for March, I've bought my first Muni pass in years. Years ago, my Muni route exclusively ran along the lightrail trains. This time around, I have to use traditional buses, OH THE HUMANITY when a necessity becomes the bane of your existence.

I need to travel from Cow Hollow to the Civic Center/Union Square area. There is a bus stop half a block from where I live that serves 2 lines on the weekdays. If you look on Muni's map, you'd think that the Van Ness line or the Polk line would make the most sense. You'd think. Van Ness was instantly out of the running (although I might give it a whirl one day) knowing what it looks like in rush hour. It's bad enough to ride on a bus, but without the perks of beating traffic, its just masochistic. My options are:

• 19 Polk - Supposedly the quickest way to work and most direct. I can either walk 3 blocks to Polk or take a bus from my street over to the Polk stop. When I get to work, I walk one long block from the bus to our building. Pro: direct route. Con: it is the filthiest vehicle I have ever been on. The grime is so omnipresent you can smell it.  It travels through the tenderloin picking up more than its fair share of crazies. I hold my breath and perch on the edge of my seat (wanting as little contact with any surface as possible) for a majority of the ride.
• 45 - A few minutes longer than the 19, this involves an underground ride (1 stop) directly to my building. I also have the option of using the above ground Muni buses, but why go through traffic lights when you don't have to? Plus, the underground entrance is right by the bus stop. I am most familiar with this line because it is useful to go to North Beach, but but but... Con: It travels through Chinatown. Why do people have to time their grocery shopping with rush hour? It cannot be any more comfortable for them to be squished in a bus with all their pink bags of groceries than it is for us. Why not shift shopping to a half hour later? Even 15 minutes? It makes a WORLD of difference! Pro: The bus stop in my neighborhood is half a block from my apartment and I can usually get a seat in the morning.
• 41 - Much farther out of the way, but only a couple minutes time-wise because it doesn't have to travel through Chinatown. Each bus has its own squashing crowd, but this line has a bunch of downtowners who have a better sense of personal space and are generally odor-free. This line involves the same underground transfer (3 stops) as the 45 but requires a block walk to the underground entrance. Pro: Same as the 45 plus, the mornings seem to be typically quiet in the morning save for hushed conversation, if any. The afternoon involves a minimal amount of cell phone chatter. LESS ODORS!!! Con: I go way out of my way. Way.

So, as you might imagine, it's a toss-up. I never know what bus will arrive on time, if at all. This blog will document my observations and experiences on these lines and perhaps I will decide which line will be mine.