MUNI, BART and CalTrain in a day

Last week, on date night with Jeff in San Bruno, my car died. I had AAA tow the car to my garage in Belmont. By the time we finished, it was rainy, cold and close to 9 p.m. So I called a cab to take us home. It got us home in 35 minutes, but it wasn't cheap.

As a result, I've delved into much more economical forms of transportation. To get to SFO to my trip to Columbus, I took Super Shuttle, a shared van service. Fare and gratuity, a little over $20. All done online. They always arrive within the specified time window and call within 5 minutes of the van showing up at your door. Since my car was still in Belmont when I returned to SF yesterday, I used Super Shuttle again. Once I got to the designated pickup area, I was off within 10 minutes heading home.

Now home and off the rest of the week, my highest priority in finding a way to Belmont was not the fastest but the cheapest. Jeff's way back to his house last week after getting me home was via MUNI, the 44-O'Shaughnessy to Glen Park BART set the wheels in motion. So, for me the same thing. From Glen Park BART, I took the Millbrae BART line to the end. Once I got to Millbrae, I walked across the platform to CalTrain, bought a Zone 2 ticket to Belmont. It took about 40 minutes before the next train arrived, but it was a short and comfy ride once aboard. When I got to Belmont, I walked about 10 minutes to get my garage and pick up my car.

Had it not been the 40 minute wait for CalTrain, the entire trip would have been only a little over an hour and a half. While it is not something I recommend or would do regularly, I had the time and enjoyed the trek. The entire cost = $7.40 ($2 MUNI + $2.90 BART + $2.50 CalTrain). I know at some point, I will be using MUNI, CalTrain or BART so I ordered a TransLink card online. TransLink covers them all, including AC Transit and Golden Gate Ferry and Transit.

1980 Toyota Celica GT Liftback

While the picture is a bit to hard to see, my commute this morning on Highway 101 South from San Francisco to San Mateo had me behind for a few miles a white Toyota Celica GT Liftback, circa 1980. For a nearly 30 year old car, it had the typical rust and dents, but from an engine standpoint, it was in decent condition. I couldn't hear loud muffler noises, saw no jerky acceleration, or any blue smoke emitting from its exhaust. My Celica's color was a burnt metallic red.

The car will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first car I made payments on. Dad actually bought the car (December 1979) and put the loan in his name. I'd pay Mom in cash the monthly car payments. She'd write the check and mail the check and voucher to the bank. It was the car I drove out with Sherman and buddy Stan to San Francisco in August, 1983.

I owned the car until April 1988, when I traded in the Celica for a 1988 Acura Integra LS, a car with its own historical significance (see October 17 blog posting).