BART and other San Francisco, CA Transportation Tips

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: BART is a decent enough service for getting around a lot of parts of the Bay Area. It serves part of SF, part of East Bay, about halfway down the Peninsula. It doesn't go to San Jose (yet) and it will never go to Marin County. It certainly beats driving into the city and having to park your car in some place where you might not come back with a driver side window, like, say, the Mission District.

BART has seen better days and is in need of an upgrade. The interior is getting a bit shabby, the trains don't always run on time, and the rails screech a lot. However, it generally works (when workers are not on strike), and it is much cheaper than taking a cab or parking.

Build in some extra time for waiting for Bart, waiting for it to leave the station, and the time it takes to get from point A to point B. Overall, well worth it. Combined with other mass transit systems, like Caltrain, Muni and Golden Gate Transit, you can pretty much get around to a lot of places in the Bay Area without a car.

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Website: http://www.bart.gov

'Mode': TO
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: If you want to make a side trip to Marin County, taking the ferry is the most relaxing way to do it. Ferries run regularly all day to and from Larkspur and Sausalito. Not a car ferry, but you may may bring bicycles.

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Phone: 800-735-2922
Website: http://www.goldengateferry.org/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: The F line is a recent wonderful addition to San Francisco. In 2000, San Francisco, after decades of effort, completely refurbished and put into operation several antique streetcars and trolleys from all around the world. The F line runs from Castro, down Market, along the Embarcadero (waterfront) and all the way to Fisherman's wharf.

The F line is operated by Muni, so your Muni pass and transfers will work on this line. The line is fun to ride and very scenic.

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Website: http://www.sfmuni.com/aboutmun/histcars.htm

'Mode': TO
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: If you are coming from or going to the East Bay and you aren't taking B.A.R.T, most likely, you will be going over the Bay Bridge. This bridge connects San Francisco to Emeryville, Berkeley and Oakland. The city in the distance is Oakland.

Better come and take a picture - quick! When all the internal squabbling stops, this bridge will be torn down and replaced with one intended to withstand a major earthquake. The new bridge has a very modern design and of course the very opinionated San Franciscans are all weighing in. Either you love the new design or hate it.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: When I first moved to San Francisco, I heard nonstop complaints about the muni bus system. That has changed. One thing our former Mayor Willie Brown did was hire a crackerjack director who bought new buses, donated the old ones to the Salt Lake City Olympics and whipped the system into shape.

I use the Muni to go all over San Francisco. The fare is $1.25 per trip (or you can buy a day pass for buses and cable cars). For your $1.25, you get a transfer that will allow you to get back on any bus, officially for 90 minutes, but the bus drivers are VERY lax about this. Transfers are good on the trolleys and F line, but not the cable car.

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Website: http://www.sfmuni.com