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Taking BART...experiences please
My H and I are going to an Oakland A's game this month and staying in Berkeley so we can to visit SF the next day. I saw that there is a BART station 5 blocks from out hotel that could get us to the coliseum for only $4.50 each! And the next day we could use it to get into SF and not have to worry about parking. Can anyone share their BART experiences? Good or bad. Thanks!
Re: Taking BART...experiences please
BART's great! Like any big city public transit, be smart, know where you're going...the stop before and after, don't look like a tourist, keep your purse close and in front of you...but I feel as safe (if not safer) on BART than I do in NYC or Chicago. Buy each of you fare cards at your starting point. Make sure you have some small bills because once it's on the card, you can't get it off. Make sure you take it with you at the turnstyle. You'll need it again at your destination.
At the A's there's a long bridge you'll need to cross and that and the platform can be really crowded. We wait after the game for a little while to let everything clear a bit because otherwise, I get a little claustrophobic. There are also usually people selling stuff on the bridge (and begging for $$) which can be interesting.
Have fun. Oh, and going into SF is a long tunnel under the bay and stops in SF are underground. SF also has other public transit within the city...MUNI. There are buses, a light rail system, trolley cars, and cable cars. You may be able to buy a passport to all of them in SF or pay individually (beware, cable cars are more expensive)
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I only took BART a handful of times. It was always a good experience. I was once alone in a car (late at night) and that creeped me out a bit, but as I guess you can tell, no masked murder got on with me :-)
BART is a great option for traveling to the A's games and to San Francisco.
Mrs. BoomBoom did a fantastic job of covering it. I'll just add a few other things.
- You will each need your own tickets. You cannot share them.
- It's easiest to add the exact amount that you'll need for your round trip to the ticket. Then, when you make your final exit, the gate will keep your ticket (if you want to keep it as a souvenir, just add an extra $0.05 to the ticket when you purchase it and it will give it back to you when you exit the gate on your final leg of the trip).
- If you will be riding during non-commute hours, particularly late at night, I would suggest you ride in the very first car in the train. It tends to be the safest (and if something happens it's easier to alert the train operator). Keep your valuables under wraps during the ride (and they're safer on your lap than in a bag under your seat).
- The system can be a little confusing for newbies (or at least I assume so, since I get asked these questions all the time), so to sum it up you'll want to take a Fremont train from Berkeley to get to the A's game. Take a Richmond train to return. Then, when you go to SF you'll want to take a San Francisco train. Then return again to Berkeley on a Richmond train.
- Word to the wise -- if you're on the escalators, the "regulars" get pretty cranky when people stand in place on the left side of the escalator. People like to walk up/down the escalator to the left, and standers stay to the right. I've seen people get yelled at by other passengers when they block the left side because they want to stand next to their friend (instead of behind or in front of them, to the right), so I figured I'd help you avoid that!
- Keep in mind the system doesn't run 24 hours! So, if you're out in the city, you'll want to be sure you're aware of when the last train back is so you don't get stuck! The schedule is different on weekends and weekdays.
I also second riding in the first car at night after the game is over with. There will probably be lots of fans taking the train home too.
And sometimes there are panhandlers that make their way on the train. DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY $$. I use BART a few times a week for commuting to work and see these panhandlers but they can be on trains at all hours. If there is anyone acting suspicious you can always call the train operator and let them know. it's pretty safe for the most part.
Last one, bring hand sanitizer.
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The bathrooms in open-air (non-underground) stations have since been re-opened. But I wouldn't want to use them! Nasty!