I should have drove

Yesterday evening I got invited to attend a Giants game at Oracle Park. For once, I decided to take public transport instead of driving. I live two blocks from a light-rail stop, on a line - with a brief transfer at a later station - that takes me directly to the ballpark. It doesn’t get any more door-to-door service than this. It sure beats getting stuck in rush hour traffic driving, only to park many blocks away from Oracle Park (because free parking), necessitating a lengthy walk.

That is, if the light-rail is actually functioning normally. I got on the first train yesterday, only to encounter a completely shut tunnel system. No trains of any line were able to go underground towards downtown. We had to instead get off at West Portal - just before the tunnel - and take a surface shuttle bus. It doesn’t take a genius to realize a street bus is far slower than an underground metro train that’s unimpeded by car traffic. Worse, the bus shuttle got me only to downtown - it didn’t extended beyond towards the ballpark. So I walked the rest of the way.

A trip that at most should have taken about an hour, instead took two. And you wonder why public transportation ridership hasn’t recovered fully from the pandemic. It’s a really bad look to have a major section of the light-rail system closed off during evening rush hour. Folks have already suffered the nine hours at work already! Adding to their already lengthy commute time is kind of unconscionable. It’s a bad deal for the people with responsibilities waiting at home. I at least had the luxury of not being in a hurry (I’ve been to enough baseball games to not care about missing the opening few innings).

Silver lining to everything: it was an enjoyable walk along the Embarcadero towards Oracle Park. The summer evening sun provided a great ambiance. Crisp air and excellent views will make anyone forget about the unscheduled delay.

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Will o’ the wisp.

I should go to a game

Our local SF MUNI metro line - the M line - has returned to service. For over a year we’ve forgotten just how loud a passing train on the tracks can be. Alas, the windows in my studio in-law unit is not double-paned, so I get to hear the rumble every time a train goes by. Honestly though it’s not that intrusive; it’s the previously prolonged absence that have made it noticeable. At my old place I lived right next to a bus stop; I’m sure I’ll get used to this just the same.

It’ll be great to walk the one block to the metro stop and take the M train right to the baseball stadium at the downtown waterfront. For whatever reason, I’ve yet to attend a baseball game at Oracle Park this season, even though things have completely opened back up. The Giants also have the best record in the major leagues going on two months. Perhaps we’ve been stuck inside for so long, we don’t quiet yet know how to get back “out there” completely. I’d nearly forgotten there was actually baseball last year.

Gone are the halcyon days of attending half dozen of games a month.

The super virulent delta variant isn’t helping things, though I’m not particularly concerned about it. Everybody in my family who’s eligible have already gotten the vaccine (and looks like we’re going to need that third dose). Except for my grandmother, whose stubbornness and lack of mobility in her old age have thus far refused to make the trip downstairs at the old people home to get the shot. Even the threat of not seeing her grandkids is not enough of an incentive. None of us want to be the one to get her sick with COVID.

This isn’t some indoctrination of constantly watching Fox News (unless there’s a Chinese language equivalent I don’t know about). My grandmother just doesn't like needles, and want to avoid the potential initial side-effects of the vaccine. I’ll keep badgering my mother to badger her mother to get the shot, though. Ultimately it’s the safe thing to do.

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ACME.

First time night commute on MUNI

Heading home from work last night was the first time I took the bus this late (I get off at 10:30pm), and I have to say it was not anything out of the ordinary. The only small hiccup is the duration between buses is absurdly long compared to normal commute hours. I thought the app was malfunctioning when I checked schedules on NextBus and saw the next train wasn't for another 25 minutes. Had I drove I wouldn't been home already in that time. 

Fortunately the prolonged intervals is offset by the lack of traffic at that time of the night, so the trains and buses are quite quick. There's immensely less passengers too, which meant fewer stops and pickups. I was amazed that my connect bus got from Balboa Park station to my house in 10 minutes, where it'd normally take 25 minutes when the sun is out. Even with the extended wait times, the trip home last night ended up taking the same amount of time when I worked "normal" hours. 

One negative though is that San Francisco, as famously usual, is bitterly cold at that time of night. Yesterday was no different: (Karl the) fog rolled in heavy and there was an ever so slight of a drizzle; standing at an unprotected bus stop for 20 minutes was not exactly the most comfortable occasion. I think I'll start packing a beanie.

Do I miss having a car, then? The time saved by driving compared to an hour on the train and bus is significant (~45 minutes). However, to achieve my current financial goals I am willing to trade that time for more money. Compared to the fiscal outlay of car ownership, a MUNI unlimited monthly pass is but 78 dollars. There's always UBER if a train never arrives or I really need to get home quickly. 

But let's see how day two and onwards go. 

A train station all to myself. 

Public transit supplemented with ride-share

This morning as I walked to the usual bus stop to begin my commute, the LED information board indicated the next bus would not arrive for another half hour. In the scant two months since I’ve started taking public transit to work, it's the first time there was such a severe discrepancy. More than a few drivers must have called in sick today, as SFMTA drivers are wont to do.

Normally I would simply wait it out and kept on listening to my podcasts. However today I was tasked to open up shop at work, so punctuality was absolutely paramount. A 30 minutes late bus would have been detrimental, so out came the iPhone and an UBER was called.

Is it politically correct these days to hail an UBER car, what with the company's problems of diversity and sexual harassment? Should I have gone with Lyft instead? Probably, but alas convenience trumps virtue-signaling propensities; I'm familiar with UBER and have yet to set up an account with Lyft.  

Those Bird electric scooters everybody in San Francisco is talking about and using haven’t gotten to our “poor” neighborhood just yet, if ever. 

I fully understand the various negative externalities emanating from the advent of ride-sharing, so let's focus on the positives! It is such a relief and convenience to be able to quickly hail a car in case of emergencies like today. I can remember back in high school, way before ride-share and smartphones, if a bus was late there was no option but to keep standing at the stop until it comes. Now I can call an UBER. I mean Lyft.

The events this morning reinforced my belief that public transportation supplemented with ride-sharing is the best option to commute in a major city. I see no practical need to own a car unless you've got young kids. 

Not sure if dungeon in hell or the first floor of the campus Administration building.