April 29, 2004
Sentimental hygiene
On the shuttle back from work this evening, Peter was handing out BART cards like candy. I noticed that he had an unusual card:
turns out that this card was the first stock issued when the BART station opened. The unusually helpful and polite woman working the ticket counter at SFO looked around for more, but couldn't find them. Peter, always generous, gave me his.
Getting to the airport via public transit is too complicated. BART ends, but then the AirTrain begins. The AirTrain takes another several minutes, but then inconveniently drops one off in the middle of the parking structure; from there one must walk through zebra crossings and around structural pillars (how would someone in a wheelchair negotiate this?) to get to the terminal. From there, through a subterranean passage. And then, finally, into the airport: at least ten minutes *after* getting off BART. Similar systems in Zurich, Geneve, London, etc., etc., ad inf. all let off travellers in the terminal building itself.