It's true that most of those details are not so bad. I've exaggerated in an attempt to recapture the feeling of being a beginner faced with all of them at the same time.
Being a beginner in NYC, Boston or DC is just as daunting. I've had had to navigate transit systems as both a tourist and as a daily commuter, and calling Bart-Caltrain particularly worse than the equivalent worse parts of other metro systems is disingenuous.
It is pretty bad and could be a lot better, but the griping from Bay area people in this thread is ridiculous.
It's true that most of those details are not so bad. I've exaggerated in an attempt to recapture the feeling of being a beginner faced with all of them at the same time.