The Way We Were

A reader sent us this link to one of those "March of Progess" type newsreels from 1945 about us, the Bay Area. It's basically all about how we're on the cutting edge of everything, made from steely gold miner types who built the area out of nothing. It comes with lots of great music, a cartoon character, and that sunny optimism that's fueled more than enough "Simpson's" parodies.

What the newsreel footage is about, actually, is public transportation. Mainly how great ours is and how well it services both San Francisco and the East Bay. Which, of course, is laden with irony these days. As is the constant use of "gay."

It's actually pretty cool and kind of poignant. It's got great footage of Oakland/San Francisco of the 20th century plus great stock footage of people dancing the can-can and happy Mexicans dancing. Included is footage of 1903 San Francisco, the Quake, the building of Oakland, the opening of the Bay Bridge (with a lesson on how public transportation on the bridge worked back then), smiling MUNI drivers, actual factories, and happy commuters getting on and off trolleys.

Someday the children of our children will watch something like this, about how San Francisco was on the cutting edge of bad public transportation systems, super-expensive housing, and web sites to help with disintermediate B2C e-markets. And they too will think it's the good ole days too.

Or maybe not.