Asking for directions to the subway

subway sandwich!
Originally uploaded by CALLAMON

... one of the advisory committee members on the planning study that I am managing told us a story at the last meeting.

One of his company's employees was on a business trip to San Francisco. In the city, she asked for directions to the "subway" and was given directions to the closest location of the Subway sandwich shop chain.

That didn't help her get to the MUNI underground.

It's a good lesson in the reality that lots of people don't ride transit.

(I had a not dissimilar experience in Chicago last year. I knew I was only a couple blocks from the El, but I didn't know which way to go. I asked someone for directions, and he tried to send me many blocks away. I was skeptical and he got somewhat angry. Exclaiming why did I bother to ask him if I wasn't going to listen. I ended up finding the train on my own.)