Day 5: South Bay Transportation

$1 Coins from the VTA, originally uploaded by edmarchedrick.

The VTA (Valley Transportation Authority) operates buses and a rail system. It goes as far west as Mountain View and as far east as Alum Rock. It's a pretty complex system they have.

Finally understood today that buying a day pass for the light rail also gives me access to the buses. Could've saved a lot of money. HA! I've learned now thanks the nice bus driver on the 60 (Santa Clara Caltrain). Also learned that when you get change from the Light Rail tellers, you get $1 coins. And the buses accept them. Ka-ching!

I went to Santa Clara/San Jose to visit some shops. There's this place in San Jose called Santana Row - lots of high end stores. Gucci, Burberry, BCBG. Made me nervous just being there. So I went across the street into Santa Clara to the Westfield Valley Fair shopping center (still kind of upscale, but the middle-aged women in nasty sweats made me feel better about myself).

Met this nice UCSD marketing grad at William Rast (Justin Timberlake's fashion line).

While I was perusing she says, "I like your shoes." I was the only person in the shop so I knew she was talking to me. Also, this is a common compliment. My recs are quite popular with the ladies. I just can't tell them about the blisters they give me. ACK.

Translation: "Go out on a date with me." I sidestepped the whole matter by discussing with her instead the huge differences between the Bay Area and Austin. That will be a blog topic one day, I'm sure.

It shouldn't have taken me 3 hrs to get home today, but it did. But now that I'm a public transit pro, it won't happen again.

Just learned that Valley Fair is situated in both Santa Clara and San Jose and brings revenue into both cities. Neat.

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Continuation from yesterday:

6: Golden Gate Park

Twice in five minutes was I offered some bud. I had to decline politely. I saw a kids soccer team practicing on the fields. They were all speaking French. It's such a huge park! I wanted to get to the Pacific Ocean but I didn't because I was too tired and my feet were hurting like hell. So I got out of the park and took the infamous Muni towards the direction of the Caltrain station.

7: Civic Center

I got off at 9th & Market because I saw seagulls. I found myself at the UN Plaza where there was a fountain and all these seabirds just cawing. It was so, so cold and so, so smelly, but I was fascinated because these birds are here in the middle of the city instead of flying over the bay or something. Took photos of an interesting statue in front of city hall. Felt like a tourist. Saw a lot of Greenpeace canvassers. It was both nice and aggravating at the same time. Nice because it reminded me of Austin. Aggravating because it's Greenpeace.