So let’s face it, sitting in traffic is by far one of the more annoying things that can happen
to your day. Ok, I know, I can list many more annoying things as well. But for something
that happens so often, I always find myself surprised and annoyed that I somehow got
myself stuck in another damn traffic jam. I have lived in San Francisco for 5 years and
take great pride in the fact that I know things like:
- *DO NOT take 101 North after 3:30 pm if you are trying to get in the City take 280
- *Don’t even try to cross the Bay Bridge at 5:30 on a weekday
- *Never try to turn left on Market
- *Avoid where VanNess, Market and Mission all meet
- *Franklin not VanNess
- *Never ever go to Fisherman’s Wharf in a car or on foot
- *There is always another way to get there.
Despite what I think is extensive City driving knowledge, the inevitable always happens, you get stuck in traffic. God forbid
you end up behind a truck or an SUV and can’t even see what is happening ahead of you.
It is random and frustrating but also unavoidable. So what is a City girl to do? Besides,
playing with the music, checking my car for snacks (or a loose cigarette) and making
phone calls to gather sympathy, I enjoy watching the others around me. Some people
resign themselves to the traffic, make their peace early and even seem like they might be
enjoying themselves—lets say they are the minority. There is the opposite reaction, those
that are completely shocked as if they thought they were driving through rural Oklahoma.
They honk their horns, throw their hands up in the air, and just start swearing and
screaming. My favorite are the people that think they are not being watched, it is amazing
how many nose pickers are out there. I like to look at my nearby drivers and theorize
about where they were headed, what makes them laugh out loud, if they are having a
good day or not, basically anything. It’s impossible to know if I’m right or wrong, or
even close. But just as I start to wonder, the traffic breaks and I’m moving again. Remind
me never to take that route again.
