Best BART Stop for Buskers

A true cheapskate with a tuneful ear should head to the Montgomery Street BART station, where some of the best music in the city can be enjoyed for pocket change. This particular public transportation hub is the place where San Francisco's top-notch buskers come to pass the hat. While suits rush by with lattes in hand, a cast of instrumentalists fills the air with compositions and improvisations from around the world. Regulars include Chen Kai Chou, a 71-year-old, half-blind player of the ban-hu (a bowed, one-string instrument that kind of sounds like a violin); Eddie Floyd, a guitar-toting tenor who specializes in "travelin' songs about hard drinkin' and wild gals from coast to coast"; and Cindy Lapper, a transgender Casio wiz who can knock out a mean synth boogie. When these notable performers aren't around, the quality of their replacements can be somewhat spotty, but even on the off days, this station is the most melodious commuter stop in the city.