The J Snake

The J church streetcar runs about a block from my home, so I often ride it when going somewhere that is not car-friendly.

The first time I rode it, I was amazed when the tracks left Church Street and edged into Dolores Park. There was grass on the left of the tracks and a planted hillside on the right. Suddenly I was at Disneyland, aboard an amusement park ride. We had left the paved street behind. Anything could happen.

I eventually realized that the tracks were taking a detour around a hill that was too steep for the train. The train needed to go around the side of the hill, via a winding pair of curves, to avoid sliding backwards. So much for the Disneyland magic.

Just the other day, though, some of the magic returned. The streetcar is articulated; it has a joint in the middle that allows the parts to move separately from side to side and up and down. I was sitting in the back of the car, and was watching the front half as it turned this way and that, and pointed uphill before the back half reached the same slope. Suddenly I was riding a huge serpent, like the sand worms of Dune, as I watched the head sway back and forth, independently of the body where I was. It was trippy.