Here is some of what I learned this time around:

1. People on BART don’t talk to each other much. So it’s not the greatest train to sit and try to eavesdrop. There is a smoothness to its operations that seems to put people more at ease. Maybe they pump something through the air system, like they do at Target. It subdues the soul. Even on a crowded, three bikes and a rush hour train, BART is silent besides overhearing someone’s bad techno and the hushed “excuse me’s” of people in the morning.

2. The F Train is hard to love because it is hard to love tourists that seem to hit high-pitch notes of fear when their little fold-up map doesn’t tell them exactly which pier to get off at. But the F train is also hard not to love. It adds a sense of whimsy to the day, and views of the Embarcadero, and I got on the Louisville, Kentucky streetcar and that’s where I was born so I took that as a wink from the universe.

3. The 22 is the bus of the city. More stories are told here, more action happens, and more lives are changed, just by being on this bus.

4. Ferries are beautiful and give you rare views of the city, from angles that Instagram will wonder hashtag where are you, are you taking the day off for one of those Bay cruises with dinner theater Also, ferries have bars on them. And the bartenders on ferries are the coolest people. Just talk to one of them.

5. Cable cars are not realistically for someone who lives and works in San Francisco to use as a part of their lifestyle. Well, there is probably that one guy in a suit, looking at his watch a lot, sighing dramatically behind the crowds of fanny-packed camera phones forgetting to take in the view, but filming everything. I can’t blame them, really, because it’s a damn gorgeous city. But, just a reminder, take an actual look around sometimes, too, fair visitors of the Bay. That’s also how you don’t run into other people.

6. For some people, public transportation is a place to be. A roof. A way to block wind, or sun, or just a seat to sit down. A way to pay $2 and ride around a beautiful city, instead of being harassed by cops or wondering how you will buy your next meal. For some wandering, walking citizens of our city, the bus is a moment of refuge. A blessing to be off their feet. So please, let’s all try to share the space. I have a feeling that if we all just shifted our frame to “There is room for us all here,” there really will be room for us all here.

7. TransBay buses are so chill and it’s like nobody uses them because everybody is convinced BART is the only thing that goes places, and fair enough, I did too before I moved East, but seriously. Try a bus. I did and it was like, whoa, why have I not been doing this all the time? (Find your closest bus here and cue this now.)