Back in Action

Faithful followers, it has been too long since Bus Hoppers has been updated. In the past two months, the big big news has been the complete re-organization of all AC Transit lines. While some might be upset by these major line changes and fewer buses, we at Bus Hoppers find a true adventure in any mass transit-related situation.

Now that our favorite line, the 51, has been split in half (the 51A and the 51B), there is really never a dull moment when changing buses in between Oakland and Berkeley.

But today was a legendary Bus Hoppers adventure as we made our way into the city for the San Francisco Fine Art Fair. Who knew that getting to Fort Mason would be half the fun?

After riding a seemingly normal BART train into the city (minus the man on BART who announced—"I'm kinda hecka hungry, can I have a dollar for a cheeseburger?") we were a bit confused as to which 30 Muni bus to take to Fort Mason (yes, we did branch out of the regular AC Transit). After some bad advice from a homeless man, some great advice from the Louis Vuitton saleswoman, and some okay advice from a Starbucks employee we found our bus stop.

We hopped on the 30 and began a journey at the back of the bus as those around us spoke very little English. Some other bus goers were upset to find that we had to get off the 30 bus and get on another 30 bus because the line ended, but we were up for anything.

We hopped on the 30 bus with our new friends and eventually made it to Fort Mason and the character-filled art fair. Luckily our false personas as art buyers paid off and a man asked us if we had any questions about the paintings he was selling (we didn't). But let's just say that we were already missing the trials and tribulations of public transportation.

On this blustery day we had a lot of trouble finding the 30 bus stop going back into the city but ended up boarding a very packed 30 bus with many tourists. We sat in the back of the bus again and I was able to sit across from a Jersey Shore couple. The girl had bigger goals for their weekend (like drinking wine and sitting in the park), while the boy simply wanted to drink a beer and eat dinner at Firenze by Night in Chinatown.

Meanwhile, at the front of the bus much drama ensued as one bus goer was doing a lot of yelling and evil genie laughing...so much so that the bus driver had to tell him that he needed to "lower his voice or get off!"—we were ready for a full-blown fight, but simply got more yelling and laughing.

Somehow we made it back home after much waiting for other AC transit buses. It was truly a lovely welcome to a summer in the bay with new bus lines and friends and strangers. And let's just say that there will surely be more frequent Bus Hoppers updates as we journey into Oakland, San Francisco, and beyond.