Comments on: Nature’s Unsung Helper

By: Yonathan Randolph

Yonathan Randolph — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:12:44 +0000

Great article! It’s too bad I was always in too much of a hurry to notice the garden when I commuted to school; I was always in a rush going in, or holding my nose coming out. The noise at the pine tree is kinda freaky at dusk from the cries of hundreds of little birds.

By: Sean T Hedgpeth

Sean T Hedgpeth — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:27:43 +0000

This guy is my hero. We cant be fooled the the seemingly permanent nature of our built environment, we must cherish what is there, and may not be in the future. The Post-WWII environment is gone, but I would have love to ride the B-Geary, the Key system, a ferry from Berkeley/Sac/petaluma, Streetcar through the Stockton tunnel, streetcar to Fort Mason through the tunnel, sloat st streetcar, or a NWP train to Eureka. We must learn to never let good planning go to waste. Im all for gas rationing….

By: Peter Keles

Peter Keles — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:31:16 +0000

tonyboysf- you’ve got to be kidding!! How many lazy CALTRANS workers do you see every day leaning on a shovel.

Mr. O’Brien doesn’t even work for CALTRANS, he’s a subcontractor, so he not even being paid what those government losers are making sitting on their hands doing nothing. Call Arnold and complain about the CALTRANS guy who sits in his truck all day guarding his electrical sign.

80 years old and still working. That’s what used to make America great.

By: Michael Scheper

Michael Scheper — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:08:52 +0000

I used to work two blocks from there. During my lunch breaks I normally went somewhere for some greenery, and often my destination was Yerba Buena Gardens. On those days, I’d walk right past that spot! The Transbay Terminal was never a place I’d think to look for nature, but this article goes to show that looks can be very deceiving. Thanks for the enlightenment.

Another feature of the Transbay Terminal: A plaque commemorating Emperor Norton, the dogs that usually accompanied him, and his decree to build a bridge and tunnel across the San Francisco Bay. Does anyone know who I should write to to ensure that’s preserved?

By: taomom

taomom — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:59:05 +0000

Yes, we need more gardeners. People to cultivate, nurture, and take care of what’s here. On so many levels.

By: Dmacklin

Dmacklin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:35:04 +0000

I routinely used the Transbay Terminal when I was attending law school in Berkeley and doing an internship in San Francisco. The greenery at the edge of the Terminal property was both attractive and welcoming. As for the gardener’s loving care of what was clearly less than God’s Half Acre, I think the key is this: making a space for nature in the midst of all of the human arrogance that is urban America, and particularly downtown San Francisco where rank poverty is pretty much ignored by the high rise dwellers, is a form of blessing. SF doesn’t need another monument of concrete and steel available to only the richest people. It needs more gardens, and we as a culture need more gardeners.

By: tonyboysf

tonyboysf — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:24:25 +0000

I wonder what it cost us – Caltrans to do this little gardening project? I agree it’s worthy of being done, and great that Mr. O’Brien made a living at
it for 50 yrears, but I wonder about the cost? The historical info provided
has been told many times before, showing that there were some really effective planners and engineers pre WWII who’s work was largely trashed
for the “new and improved” versions which usually do not equal or improve
on the originals (AT&T Park is likely an exception).

By: Seth Andrzejewski

Seth Andrzejewski — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:12:57 +0000

Wonderful article… good work!

I love the last statistic: 17k commuters in 20 minutes.

BART runs 10 car trains every 3 minutes during commute hours: 6,670 passengers in 20 minutes.

5 Lanes of the Bay Bridge with average vehicle occupancy of 1.6 and capacity of 1,900 veh./lane/hour: 5,066 passengers in 20 minutes.

By: velocycling

velocycling — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:07:49 +0000

What a hero, just one person doing his job the best he can everyday.