This morning on BART there were plenty of open seats when I boarded at the North Berkeley station. By the time we hit Ashby the open seats were pretty well filled. I sat reading my 25 cent SF Chronicle (special rate for BART riders) when I heard, “I was there first!” A middle aged woman with long, fuzzy brown hair stared at a young woman wearing a track suit, who shouted back, “We’re about to fight.” Then, as quick as you’d flip a switch, the young woman who predicted a tussle said, “Okay, fine, you win,” conceding the seat as easily as she’d initially escalated the dispute.
Much like a 5th grader the older white woman who’d won the right to the open seat without having to take a fist to the face repeated, “I was there first.”
The other night a wayward looking man sat in the seat in front of me holding a neon fan that lights up. He stared at the spinning lights and spoke aloud to himself or to whomever might be listening, “That crazy lady gave this to me. Ain’t it something. That crazy lady with the crazy hips gave me this.”
I love taking the train.
5 comments ↓
Hey Brittney,
I was a frequent reader of NiT back in the and an occassional commenter. I used to have a blog and an other blog, but I don’t anymore. Although you are sadly missed in Nashville, it is great to live vicariously through your posts about my favorite city.
Joe from the City without a Subway…
Sounds like a nice place to visit (and it is), but …
The last time I rode the MARTHA (MARTA?) in Atlanta some guys were playing a boombox really loud. A guy meekly asked them to turn it down and one of them started screaming at him and saying “If this was Compton you’d be dead!”
I’ll go out on a limb and say that the novelty of crazy people and violence will wear off quickly.
I don’t think I’d be riding that train unarmed.
You’ll find crazies on just about any form of public transit. The sad thing is, I was in Mexico City about a month ago, and for all that city’s warts, its public transit puts most US systems to shame. We took the Metro everywhere the four days we were there, and never had any problems at all (apart from the fact that the trains were occasionally VERY crowded). The only nuisance was the occasional hawker trying to sell something, but even they didn’t get in your face about it.
The problem I had with the BART in SF wasn’t the crazies — it was the fact that it was LOUD. By far the loudest train I’ve ever been on. People couldn’t hear me talking over the train, and people who have heard me talk (e.g. SayUncle) will tell you that’s saying something!
I love those little fans with their colorful dancing patterns. I bet the raver kids all use them (side note: are there still raver kids out there?)
Leave a Comment