I work in the San Francisco Financial District. Over the last six months of
rebuilding my car I've been forced to ride BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)
into the city from the North Bay. Mass transit can really get you down on
some days.
Now with the car up and running properly again, I can finally take it all
the way into the City now and again (and again, and again...). Today was a
particularly stellar day and I just have to share. . .
MORNING: Get on the road about 6:45. Too late really, traffic is already
backing up. Morning is gorgeous though. Pinkish over the Berkeley hills as
I cruise along about 45 mph across from the Bay Meadows race track. Bit
overcast, car is running great. Faint glow of the gauges keep me company in
my solitude amongst throngs of people alone in their own vehicles. When
gaps appear, a slight pressure on the accelerator and the Alpine jumps
forward to take advantage, but not too much. No crazies on the road this
morning, just regular folks going to work.
Backup is pretty bad getting out of "the maze" and into the Bay Bridge toll
plaza. Car in front of me has trouble at the toll gate, when I get there I
give the lady a big smile and a friendly hello. Must have been the first
one of the day because I startle her so much she almost drops my toll. She
recovers and gives me a big smile and a friendly "Hey" back as I merge back
into the masses of vehicles.
Still very slow up the metering lights. We all creep forward and I am glad
for the electric fan. I used to dread this part, as the temperature was
always too high for comfort and there was no room for boilovers unless I
wanted to be in the traffic report on the radio for the next two hours.
Temperature stays down as I get up the light. Slight fantasy here, the
lights are staged and we all creep up and when our green comes it is like
the checkered flag goes down. We're off and all jockeying for position to
be in the correct lane when they neck down onto the Bay Bridge.
My light comes and I shoot for the far right hand lane. This will get me an
unobstructed view over the edge of the bridge. From here I can watch the
Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Treasure Island and its marina, Alcatraz
(of course), the boat traffic on the Bay, but most importantly I can see the
City and the towering buildings that seem so far below me from the bridge.
I get beat out of my lane by a bimbo box (slang, only slightly pejorative,
for those dastardly minivans that make the rest of the road invisible from a
low Alpine when they are in front of you). That's OK. A quick slalom
around a slow moving dump truck and a tanker rig and I'm in where I wanted
to be. Front end and steering are tight and place me exactly where I want
to be. Plenty of power when I want to get positioned just so. Brakes are
perfect and light for any fine adjustments. Lots of room in front and no
obstructions to my view, perfect. Pace is around 40-50 mph, perfect for an
Alpine with no overdrive. I huumm across the Bay and enjoy the view as the
sun rises behind me to light up the City and the Golden Gate.
Get off the bridge, around a turn or two and duck into a garage a coupla
blocks from work. Walk into the office with a smile on my face and no-one
knows why.
LUNCH:
Lunch rolls around and the sky is slightly overcast and a bit cool. Perfect
San Francisco weather. A certain redhead in my office (whom Karen, my
beloved spouse, has met and approved as a luncheon partner) can arrange a
longish lunch. We walk to the garage and put the top down. Car is still
slightly warm from the morning run and it starts running perfectly
immediately, no warming up needed.
Pop over the hill to where they are building the new Baseball Stadium on the
waterfront. Mountains of steel and rebar. Roads are all torn up, but
Alpine doesn't mind at all. Quick and hard left at the stadium and we're
driving along the waterfront. It's been gentrified recently, but there are
still a few old dives left over. Red's is one of my favorites, cheep,
honest, no pretensions, everything comes with a beer. Hamburger and a beer,
hotdog and a beer, chilidog and a beer, and the beer is any kind you want as
long as its regular Budweiser in a long neck bottle. Its too soon for lunch
so we keep going.
Cruise along the waterfront and past the Ferry Terminal and Pier One. They
are rebuilding it all and doing a very nice job of it. Reminds me of the
farewell party the City had for Herb Caen when he left us, slight sadness
here. We keep going all the way until we reach Pier 39. I usually detour
around this as it is always a mess. But hey, its not a weekend, we brave it
and are rewarded handsomely. Drive right on through Pier 39, get to gawk at
the tourists and be gawked back at. Pier 39 is something I enjoy in very
small doses, this is about perfect.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Sep 05 2000 - 08:38:14 CDT