The trains from Milan are the prettiest inside (but the least fun to ride in). They have glass pendant lighting, and wood benches alongside the car. It has a back door for emergencies only, but people never read that sign and panic when the back door doesn't open: ("Back door, Driver! BACK DOOR!"). I like to hang out back there so I can tell them to use the middle door.
My favorite trains inside are the ones that feel like a school bus, but have the single seats in the front. I like those trains because they have the most room, but (as with all F trains), there's a big risk to sitting towards the front--and that's because the front tends to be the smelliest.
One other thing that makes the F different is the amount of homeless, and incredibly smelly, people that get on. They must have a lot of business up and down Market street, and I never see this many homeless people get on the buses, or on the Muni underground. Or BART, for that matter. I've had to consciously hold my breath on the F before so I wouldn't be sick. It smelled that bad.
The F definitely has the most characters. I can't help but think sometimes of the USA Network's tagline: Characters Welcome. I feel like that's on the front of every F train.
The last distinction about the F is the conversations going on. Between strangers (sometimes 3-4 get involved), between people who get to know each other because they ride so often, and my favorite: between the driver and either other passengers, or sometimes other Muni drivers.
I like to eavesdrop on these conversations, because I feel like I get to know how to drive these crazy contraptions (you have to sometimes hit it hard, then let the air out slowly, slowly to stop efficiently). Or sometimes I just like to see glimpses of humanity--mainly the good, but sometimes some badness seeps through the interactions.
I also think the drivers are typically very friendly--they've waited for me sometimes when I'm across the street, but trying to get to them. I like how everyone thanks the drivers when they get out. It's quite the community. Drivers often know names of their passengers (even, and maybe especially, the homeless).
I have come to recognize the drivers. There's this one guy, and I've been noticing that lately he's been unhappy with work. He used to be extremely friendly and laid back, but the past few times I've ridden with him, he's been snappy to passengers, impatient, and seems frustrated. I feel bad for him, and sometimes want to tell him I've noticed.
Enough about the F. My other topic for today: weather.
It's rainy season here in SF. Rain and rain for days straight. What's interesting about this rainy spell is that sometimes there are periods of brilliant sunshine in the midst of the rain. Or, it will pour, the sun will take over and beat down, and the sky will go dark again and resume pouring. It's been quite beautiful, but I'll be happy when the rain stops.
At least Spare the Air is over (you're not allowed to burn fires on certain days to improve air quality)--because Ian and I are getting ready to make some French Onion Soup, and with that goes a glass of red and a roaring fire. Thanks, Alton Brown, for the recipe. I even went out and got some new oven safe bowls from Williams Sonoma for the occasion.
It's one of our nights in Culinary Travel. I know we haven't written in awhile, but we've made some rules about eating out. One is that we can only eat out for dinner once a week (unless there are extenuating circumstances--like friends or visitors). We've been cooking instead--lamb chops, cous cous, seared scallops, roasted asparagus risotto. Yes, be impressed. We are.
Was this a random post or what? I walk around writing blog posts in my head all the time, but never actually update the blog. I'm kind of tired of apologizing for it. I've thought about canceling the blog (because I hate having it over my head), but that's just silly. I'll write when I can. No apologies.
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