Oh how we hate that high-pitched whine generated by held-open subway doors. It hurts, but of course, that's the -- it's supposed to make you let go of the door so the whole train doesn't have to wait for your giggling gasping slowpoke friends.
Please let go of the Doors
More Transit Thrills Than You Can Possibly Stand
Even though you're probably too chicken to admit it, we know you're curious about the January 24th meeting of the SF County Transit Authority meeting (100 Van Ness Avenue, 26th Floor). They're planning to allocate ten milllllllllion dollars to some Transbay Terminal tomfoolery: that's extending Caltrain to the terminal, redeveloping the terminal's crappy neighborhood, and sprucing up the terminal so that it's the kind of place people actually go to. Most of that 10 million will pay for a year's worth of project management.
Third Street Rail Service Still Almost a Year Away
We're getting pretty antsy, waiting for service to start on Muni's fabled new Third Street line. It was originally supposed to be operational when, like, 2005? And the delays just keep mounting. The lastest obstacle: getting driver signed up and trained for the new line. Muni was dragging its feet on that, and for a while it looked like the training process would mean an additional couple months of delays -- but the SF County Transit Authority was having none of that. At the SFCTA's urging, Muni has assigned Carter Rohan, Deputy General Manager for Construction, to make sure that the training doesn't push the start of revenue service too far past the already ridiculously late schedule. The new projected start date for Third Street service: somewhere between January and March of 2007. We tremble with anticipation.
The City Under the City Has Fabulous Shopping!
No, not the sewers -- the subway. Passions were set aflame among transit enthusiasts when a memo by the SF County Transit Authority [PDF] suggested that the Central Subway (an as-yet-unbuilt system, intended to connect the existing lines with Chinatown, SOMA, and elsewhere) might get built without any actual means of transferring between subway lines. For those of you playing along, yes, that would make the entire $1.2 billion project pretty much useless.
You Mean There's Actually Culture OUTSIDE the City? Inconceivable!
We neglect the North Bay sometimes, but it's not for lack of love -- it's just that we're not sure what the heck people DO up there sometimes. Whetever it is, it sounds classy; like the art exhibit at Roshambo Winery in Healdsburg, wherever that is. Todd Barricklow (ceramics) and William Smith (prints and drawings) from the Killing Time Studios will be showing off their work at a reception from 5pm to 8pm this Saturday.

