Another Guest Blogger: Riding the Rails With a Little One

I have been riding the N for six years, but the past year has opened my eyes to a whole new aspect of life on public transportation. First, I was pregnant and it seemed like no one wanted to give me a seat. Even at seven months, I would have to politely ask able-bodied twenty-something men if I could sit down. I finally concluded that most people were off in their own worlds or afraid to offend (what if I was just carrying a few extra pounds?).
Once I had my little girl in September, I discovered that most N Judah riders are actually big softies. Some people just smile at the baby. Others like to ask questions about her age and vital statistics (my husband says that the same elderly Chinese woman has asked him multiple times how much the baby weighs). There’s also a group of riders that I think of as the stealth parents. They look like any other commuter, with ear buds and messenger bags, but as I get on at Church and Duboce, I catch them staring at the little one, their eyes misting over. “I have a 3 year old at home,” they confide. “I remember when she was that little.” One hipster-looking dude twisted all the way around in his seat to show me iPhone pictures of his 17-month old. My favorite interaction so far, though, was actually with a Muni worker who doing some sort of quality control work, marking off the time we arrived at each stop. In between his careful notations, he told me about how his baby was all grown up now. From there, he went on to tell me about a piece of land he has back in Oregon, and his plans to retire and build a house there. It was a sweet conversation and a nice moment. Thanks, N Judah!
Debra Solomon lives in the Inner Sunset with her husband and baby girl.