The Transit Traveller: Day 7: Willits to San Francisco

After we ate breakfast, we walked over to the bus stop. Today was the day I had been waiting for... I have always wanted to go to San Francisco and ride the BART, and today, I will do just that!

The bus stop was just a small shelter, with the transit system's logo on it. But before we settled down at the bus stop, we first got some change at a nearby Laundromat. Then we headed back to the bus stop, and waited for about half an hour. The 65 bus to Santa Rosa was a van, and had space for luggage. Riding down 101, though not down the coast, had some great scenery of huge vineyards and cliffs covered in yellow grass.

Once we got to Ukiah, the bus driver made everyone get off the bus while he took a 20 minute break. Ukiah was larger than Willits, though not by much. I waited for 20 minutes in the cold, reading Hardy Boys, when everybody got back in the bus and drove off. I pretty much slept the rest of the way to Santa Rosa, though I did see yet more endless vineyards as we approached the city.

The bus arrived at the Santa Rosa Transit Mall, and we got off the bus. We were planning to eat lunch in Santa Rosa, but we decided to just get to San Francisco as soon as possible. So, we ate an apple, and caught the 80 bus to San Francisco. On the way to San Fran, we snacked on a bag of almonds to tide us over. The bus dropped us off right next to the Civic Center BART station, and we got directions to Victor's Pizza (Loved it!) One great lunch later, we walked down into the BART station. The first thing I noticed was the total lack of public art (compared to the Link Light Rail), and how deep the station was in the ground! I got a $20 BART ticket, and Appa reloaded his.Then we descended into the Civic Center BART station, with voices echoing every few seconds. Sometimes it was the normal sounding Muni Metro voice saying something like "2 Car N... N... in 3 minutes. 1 Car M in 5 minutes. 2 Car T... T... in 8 minutes. But sometimes it was the creepy, monotone BART voice saying "Ten car train to San Fran Cisco airport in 5 minutes. Eight car train to Daly City in seven minutes. Ten car train to Millbrae in ten minutes." Our train (to San Francisco Airport) screamed in to the station, and we boarded the train. I was immediately impressed by the efficiency of the system, and how fast the trains move. We had to get off at Balboa Park and wait for the next train (track maintainance), but other than that, the ride was very seamless and quick.

Once we got off at the airport, we fed our tickets into the turnstiles, and got out of the station. There was an area marked "Courtesy Shuttles" that we went to, and called Embassy Suites. They said that the shuttle will be coming in 10 minutes, so we sat down at the shelter.

Once the shuttle came, the driver took Appa's huge backpack and we set off. It was a very classy shuttle, with leather seats and a fake wood floor. The ride took about 10 minutes, and once we got there, I immediately saw the old, large hotel. We got off the shuttle, and waited for about 20 minutes (!)
to be checked in. We got our room key, and walked through a miniature jungle, with a river, trees, fish, and plants. The elevator had glass walls, so we could see all across the jungle. Our room was a 2 room suite, with a view of the bay. It had a good shower, and an office (without free WiFi), but the rims of the tiny balcony and the ceiling were crumbling and old. The hotel was in need of a renovation.

Then we went all the way back to the city, and took the Muni Metro N Line to a La Fonda Mexican restaurant, and had dinner. We ended the day with a Muni and BART ride back to the hotel.

Here are some pictures:

View of Willits

Our bed at Super 8

We got change from this "LAUNDRAMAT" before going to to the bus stop

The Howard Hospital bus stop. Any place where the 65 to Santa Rosa stops,
there is a shelter.

Last view of the Super 8

View from the 65 bus on Highway 101

Through the 65's windshield

View from the 65 bus on Highway 101

The 65 in Ukiah

Front of the 65

Back of the 65

Golden gate bridge through the windshield of the 80. We were supposed to take the 101,
but the 80 came first. We saw the 101 just ahead of us later in the ride. San
Francisco was blanketed in fog as we made a dramatic entry across the bridge.