booking Santa Fe and San Francisco

[gusl]

Optimizing my flight schedule can be annoying sometimes: so many options, and all this uncertainty.

I should have booked last week, when it was CAN$650. Now it's up to CAN$720.

Alright! It's now booked:

Sun 7-Jun-09
Vancouver (YVR) Depart 5:40 am Terminal MAIN TERMINAL	to	Salt Lake City (SLC) Arrive 8:55 am Terminal UNIT 2	797 mi (1,283 km) Duration: 2hr 15mn	DL Delta Flight: 4863 Operated by: SKYWEST AIRLINES
3Economy/Coach Class ( 08C ), Canadian Regional Jet 700
Please check in with Skywest Air. If checking in at a kiosk, use your name rather than confirmation number.
Salt Lake City (SLC) Depart 9:45 am Terminal UNIT 2	to	Albuquerque (ABQ) Arrive 11:35 am	493 mi (793 km) Duration: 1hr 50mn	DL Delta Flight: 4758 Operated by: SKYWEST AIRLINES
3Economy/Coach Class ( 11C ), Canadair RJ
Total distance: 1,290 mi (2,076 km) Total duration: 4hr 5mn (4hr 55mn with connections)
Sat 4-Jul-09
Albuquerque (ABQ) Depart 12:20 pm	to	Phoenix (PHX) Arrive 12:35 pm Terminal 4	329 mi (529 km) Duration: 1hr 15mn	US US Airways Flight: 450
3Economy/Coach Class ( 21D ), Airbus A319
Phoenix (PHX) Depart 1:50 pm Terminal 4	to	San Francisco (SFO) Arrive 3:52 pm Terminal 1	652 mi (1,049 km) Duration: 2hr 2mn	US US Airways Flight: 407
3Economy/Coach Class ( 05E ), Airbus A320
Total distance: 981 mi (1,579 km) Total duration: 3hr 17mn (4hr 32mn with connections)
Mon 13-Jul-09
San Francisco (SFO) Depart 8:15 pm Terminal 3	to	Vancouver (YVR) Arrive 10:27 pm Terminal MAIN TERMINAL	800 mi (1,287 km) Duration: 2hr 12mn	AC Air Canada Flight: 565
3Economy/Coach Class ( 29D ), Snack, E90
Total distance: 800 mi (1,287 km) Total duration: 2hr 12mn

Comments

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

maybe we will get a chance to meet up while you're in san fran? I should be unemployed by that time, and presumably still living in the bay area, although I don't know where yet.

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

Also, I would offer my place for you to stay if I knew for sure where I would be living and what the situation would be. All I can say now, I guess, is that if I'm still living here (in Santa Cruz; probably out of the way from where you're going) then there are plenty of couches available (but no beds unfortunately). I am considering moving to San Fran in June or July though.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Thanks.
We should totally meet! My plans may be flexible... if Santa Cruz is reachable within a 1 hour bus ride from Berkeley or SF, then I'd be interested to hang out there.

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

It unfortunately takes 4-6 hours by bus, because you have to transfer onto 3 different buses and there are usually layovers (although the total cost is still only about $12). But I really don't mind coming up to SF, since I will presumably be unemployed at the time and looking to hang out and visit with lots of different people (possibly having moved up there by then anyway).

[rdore.livejournal.com]

4-6 hours sounds high to me. Highway 17 Express from Santa Cruz to Diridon in SJ is about an hour. Capitol Corridor to Berkeley or Caltrain to SF shouldn't be more than about 90 minutes.

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

Well, I've done it about 10 times, and the absolute bare minimum I've been able to do it in once was just over 4 hours--that was because I got pretty lucky and the longest layover was only 10 minutes or so. Usually, I'm doing it on the weekend when the busses run only once every couple hours... where the layovers are all more like 30-40 minutes (and could be as long as an hour if you get unlucky). Also (and this may be the biggest factor not included in your estimate) I'm including the bus I have to take to get from my house to the Santa Cruz Metro station, which also doesn't run very often on the weekends.

I'm not familiar with "Capital Corridor" though... that goes from San Jose to Berkeley? That would be nice, as before when I've done that I've taken Caltrain to BART to there.

[rdore.livejournal.com]

Right, the time of travel makes a huge difference. I used to often go from Berkeley to Sunnyvale to play poker with friends. On Friday evenings, I could make the trip in about 1:40 via a direct BART to a baby bullet Caltrain. The same trip on a weekend is probably an hour longer. (And northbound after the last Caltrain, well, let's not go there.)

However, getting to/from Santa Cruz by public transit is definitely a pain, and I want to get down there I rent a car, or find someone to go with who has one.


Capitol Corridor is a train that runs between San Jose and Sacramento via Oakland. It's funded by the state, operated by Amtrak, and managed by BART.

The disadvantages of CC are price (e.g. Berkeley to SJ is $15), and infrequent trains (7 per day). But it's definitely the fastest public transit way to get between the East Bay and San Jose.

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

Capitol Corridor, I'll keep that in mind next time I'm thinking of heading up to Berkeley, thanks.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

one of my memories of SF (from 1999) was that BART and Caltrain were not integrated!
The fact that you had to mention CC seems like a sign that the situation is not much better. (From living in Europe, I expect public transit to be very tightly integrated)

[rdore.livejournal.com]

Since 2003, BART and Caltrain are connected at Millbrae. It would be better if they were connected in downtown SF. However, Caltrain can't be run underground because it's not electrified. So it can't go into downtown SF.

Capitol Corridor follows a completely different route, it goes up the eastern side of the bay and then towards Sacramento, it never goes to SF at all. And from CC there are BART connections at both the Richmond and Oakland Coliseum stations. (These connections could be easier, but it is the same station.)

But there is the real problem of no comprehensive bay area transit organization. There's a bunch of independent entities and counties that squabble a lot, and all try to avoid paying for anything.

You should also keep in mind that the bay area is a much younger population center than Europe, and infrastructure takes time to be built.

If you want to play with a map showing the various rail transit systems, try http://jorge.vittes.com/bayareatransit2.html

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

So, unfortunately I'm going to have to retract pretty much everything I said in this thread.

I'm going to be in Europe for pretty much the same period you'll be in the US. It was really the only time period that worked for me... I hadn't thought about what dates I would be going much at all yet by the time I wrote all of this.

Also, I'll be living up in Oakland. There is actually a day or two where we overlap, but the thing is, I'm flying to Florida a few days after that and have to take an expensive exam that I won't have barely any time to study for during those few days. So it seems unlikely I'll be able to meet... unless it's real quick for lunch of something. Ah, well. Sometime!

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

Just for the record, I'll get back on the 11th, so I guess basically the 12th would be the only day where it might be possible. If you happen to be near Oakland on that day, let me know.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

I'll be staying at Berkeley... that's near Oakland, no?

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

yeah, it's pretty close

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

I'm staying in Berkeley, and planning to fly out on the 14th... so the 12th and 13th could work.

I hope Europe is being fun.

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

Greetings from LHC... just read your Gell-Mann interview and enjoyed it. Didn't realize Feynman was that weird about teethbrushing and handwashing. Actually, I had similar thoughts about handwashing recently... it makes more sense to me to wash your hands before you go, rather than after, because your hands get really dirty but your genitals stay clean being protected by clothing... why get them dirty by touching them with your dirty hands? I think there are probably societal benefits from everyone having the practice of washing hands after using the bathroom though, especially if it involves #2 or if it's a not-so-clean bathroom.

Anyway, let's try and meet for lunch on one of those two days. Btw, I am sending this from a desk at LHC. This building looks a lot like a Starship on the inside!

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

Just realized I've never sent you an email before... weird. Anyway, how does tomorrow the 12th work? Could take BART up to Berkeley, it's probably a more interesting place to meet than Oakland, unless you wanted to see my place. Or we could meet up in SF. Lunch or dinner would work for me, or getting a drink somewhere?

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Tomorrow works! I'm interested in seeing more of SF.

I'm still pondering what time would be best. My number is 505-316-4892

[spoonless.livejournal.com]

Ok, my day can be rearranged as needed. I'm cramming for a test I'm taking on Tuesday, which I have barely had any time to study for, but I will appreciate the study break.

Just let me know as soon as you know when you'd like to meet up. Actually, just give me a call (831)-334-0699 and we'll figure out where we want to meet.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

I called that number and left a message. I'm in SF, but we could meet in Oakland if you need to.