Well done BART.

A trip on the San Francisco subway system – BART – is not all sweetness and light. While visionary when completed in 1972, the rider is confronted with cars that have seemingly not been washed since that year, carpets of like vintage, and a noise level well over 100dB in the tunnels. Having ridden the Paris Metro (now with quiet rubber tires), the London Underground, the NY Subway (Dante’s Inferno in the summer) and the Washington DC Metro on many occasions, I can only think it’s noise caused by poor engineering. None of the alternative systems is anywhere near as loud.

But one thing that does stand out is that the politicians funding BART did not skimp on art and I cannot think of a better expenditure of public monies. This example is at one of the exits at the 24th and Mission station and whenever I take our son to his cartooning classes at that stop, we always pause and revel in the sculptures which are so fine a tribute to Inca culture.

G1, kit lens @ 23mm, 1/50, f/5.6, ISO 320/

There are many sculptures and murals to be found all over the system and they are a joy to discover.

G1, kit lens @43mm, 1/40, f/5.6, ISO 320.