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.