Today I’m on the move again from San Francisco to spend the night and see a relative who lives up in the Berkeley Hills far away from public transit. I have a nice chat at breakfast in the hostel that is definitely now my hostel of choice in San Francisco even though its a bit out of the way inside a park. The mistake from the night before I realize could happen anywhere and at least they didn’t lose any of my stuff. I pack up and leave my backpack in their luggage room again.
The morning’s goal is to explore the four combined BART/Muni Stations that I need more photos of. I walk over towards the Powell and Hyde Cable Car and one arrives going southbound with enough room for me to board. I take this down to the Powell Street terminus that is already full of tourists waiting to board Cable Cars. Don’t think I’m going to get another ride in on my MUNI Fast Pass. I head into the MUNI Subway and start by getting the Powell Street entrances and MUNI platforms that has new signaget. Next I get Montgomery, then Civic Center.
I have a little bit of outside of downtown MUNI Metro I want to do to make that section more complete when I finally write it. I take the next Metro Train out to West Portal that is my first goal. I also need more photos at Balboa Park (outside the BART station) and take a K (that comes first and is faster than the M) down to the terminus. I get my photos and totally confused about the boarding location for the J. This I take to the station closest to Glen Park to get the neat BART entrance and have the nice ride back to downtown enjoying the viaduct portion of the line. I get on the next J and take it to Van Ness where I wait 5 minutes for the 49 Articulated Trolleybus.
My original goal for the day is to take a 12:45 Amtrak bus to the San Joaquin up to Martinez to get that station and a $10, 200 AGR points run. The trolley bus ride takes longer than I anticipate and I realize I’m going to miss this San Joaquin so I go to my back-up plan BART out to Pleasant Hill for County Connection Route 316 to the Amtrak Station. I retrieve my backpack and think fate is with me because as I walk down to the F Market street line, the Blackpool outdoor trolley is at the stop in regular service. It’s a fun ride down the Embarcadero to the terminus. I get off there and stop at a Starbucks to recharge my phone and camera that are dead.
Next I get on BART and take it straight out to Pleasant Hill that has now been renamed (the signs changed) Pleasanton/Contra Costa Transit Center. I take bus route 316 up to Martinez that takes over an hour and has a detour because of a brush fire. The driver eventually has the cop closing the road were supposed to take. Help him pull a three-point turn of the bus, blocking traffic so we can get on a freeway we need for an exit to get around the brush fire along the freeway. I eventually get to Martinez an hour later. I have a nice time getting a photo essay of both the current transit center and looking into the original station now abandoned across the street. I realize I don’t have time for two Capital Corridor segments and buy a Martinez-Richmond-Oakland-Oakland Coliseum ticket (using the 25% take the train to an A’s game discount) for $12 that I will finish tomorrow. A northbound Capital Corridor train comes through before my train #743 comes in to go south.
I take this one stop to Richmond where I get a photo essay before getting on BART. I get off for photo essays at El Cerreto Plaza, El Cerreto Del Norte and Ashby taking advantage of the last vestiges of 10 minute frequencies)before the Richmond-Daily City line ends for the weekend. I then head up to North Berkeley where my relative picks me up for our evening.