Hacky Sack at Lake Merritt Station

Riders Matt and Dawn told me that they have separately both seen a group of Chinese people playing Hacky Sack inside the Lake Merritt BART station. Hacky Sack? Inside the station?

A little sleuthing unearthed this video:

The poster on YouTube reports that this was actually a Chinese game called jianzi, what some would say is the “original hacky sack.” But unlike hacky sack, jianzi is played with a shuttlecock (yeah, I had to look up that one too). I actually saw this game played when I was a kid. But why inside the BART station? I wonder if it’s some kind of a pick-up game.

Anybody got more information on this bit of morning fun at the Lake Merritt station?

p.s. This is not to be confused with the footbag practice held by the Chaos Footbag Club at Lake Merritt – the lake, not the BART station, according to Jack H. at Chaos. Jack asserts that his sport (like “volleyball with your feet”) is also way cool.

A Match Made On BART

Lisa_Nick2

Riders Nick and Lisa were generous enough to share with us the story of how they met…on BART! They were BART commuters who, conveniently (dear readers, you will see the importance of this fact later in the story), parked their cars at the station.

The story goes:

Nick and Lisa both rode the BART train to work everyday. Too shy to say hello or even smile, they continued for months quietly admiring each other without a peep.

Nick told a few close friends about the “BART girl,” while Lisa decided to keep everything about the “BART boy” a secret.

Then one day, as Nick was heading down the escalator, Lisa happened to be walking up the adjoining staircase. Lisa decided to casually look up to catch a glimpse. She found Nick looking back at her with the cutest smile on his face.

Blushing, Lisa smiled back.

After this brief encounter, however, their schedules seemed to conflict, and they did not see each other for several weeks.

Lisa proposed to herself a bold plan sure to capture Nick’s attention. She decided to leave an anonymous note on Nick’s car that read, “YOU ARE A CUTIE. HI.” Simple. Honest. Bold but not scary. She wrote a note and took a chance.

Two days later, as Lisa was walking to her car at the BART station, she noticed Nick sitting in his car. He smiled. He waved. He took off. Lisa got to her car and discovered a note on HER car that read, “No, I think YOU’RE the Cutie. And TAG, You’re IT. 219-0398. Nick. P.S. And if this is the wrong car, please disregard.”

Nick waited patiently for a call from Lisa, hoping she was the one who put the note on his car, and not some crazy stalker.

The conversation lasted four hours that first night. After an amazing first date, a lick of approval from Pixel [the dog], and a wonderful two-year relationship replete with secretly stashed love notes, Nick surprised Lisa by proposing to her on July 8th, their two-year anniversary.

Lisa and Nick got married in August, 2005. They shared the story above in their wedding invitation.

All together now. “Aww! (Sigh!)” More happy BART stories? We heart it ever so much.

There Is No Spoon

bart diaries girl

Rider Lindsay sent us the picture above with this note:

I was coming home from a very long day visiting a friend (I am from Georgia), caught the very last train of the night (somewhere around/past midnight) and saw this little girl STARING at me while everyone else was fast asleep.

Thanks, Lindsay (and welcome to the Bay)!

Someone caught your eye on BART? Tell us all about it.

Wishful Thinking: Bike-Subway Love Affair

wishful subway bike

Reader Andy B. sent over this lovely picture. From what I can tell this is a subway car dedicated just for bikes, right? Many of my bicyclist friends would be delighted. Think it’s a good idea for BART? At least we could potentially avoid antagonistic situations like this one.

I didn’t recognize the picture immediately but a couple of minutes of dedicated scrolling later, I found that this was taken in Copenhagen, reportedly the most bicycle-friendly city in the world (courtesy of Arkitip Intel and Copenhagenize).

Thanks, Andy!

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