The day after I toured the Muni photo archive at City Hall, I went to yet another transit-themed gathering. This time, instead of photos, the gathering was focused on transit art. The 2nd Annual Pop-Up Transit Art Fair took place in the Grand Hall of the Salesforce Transit Center on September 23. It brought together more than a dozen local artists and representatives from Muni, BART, Caltrain, AC Transit, California High-Speed Rail, and other transportation organizations. The event was part of Bay Area Transit Month, which took place in September.

Tables were filled with paintings, postcards, stickers, magnets and illustrations of cable cars, BART trains, Caltrain and various generations of Muni vehicles. Some artists made highly detailed paintings of the vehicles, while other artists created cute postcards and stickers. I was heading to a concert after the event and could only get what would fit in my pockets, so I picked up a couple of stickers and a fridge magnet.

Various transit agencies had tables as well. Muni had a pop-up shop selling official merchandise, while other organizations handed out maps and transit swag.

There were also displays about the Bay Area's larger transportation projects, including California High-Speed Rail and The Portal, the planned extension that would bring Caltrain underground from Fourth and King to the Salesforce Transit Center. I spoke with Alfonso Felder, director of The Portal project, about plans for bringing rail to the building and the development that could eventually happen around the extension.

I also spoke with an Amtrak representative about Gold Runner, the new name for the former San Joaquins service. The route runs through the Central Valley between the Bay Area and Bakersfield, and has a large bus network that reaches more than 100 destinations across California and Nevada. The train is part of a much larger statewide network, and connects to places like Yosemite, San Diego, Reno and Las Vegas. After our recent ride on the Capitol Corridor to Sacramento for Aftershock Festival, I think it would be fun to take a trip to one of these other destinations.