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So I have a new love/hate....public transportation. Living here in DC, John Mark and I only have one car- his. My car is being loving watched and driven back in Florida. Therefore, I am the public transportation guru of sorts.
When I think about public transportation (pt), what first comes to mind is that you have to live a city cool enough that everyone rides it. New York has the Subway, London has "the tube,” DC has the Metro and San Fran...well, I'm not sure if the locals actually ride the trolleys, but they are awesome. Sure, Dallas has DART and Atlanta has the MARTA, but these systems are not nearly as utilized as others.
I do think that it is amazing however, that pt will take me almost anywhere in DC metro area. Case in point, yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Baltimore for a professional women's meeting. It was a great networking opportunity and I loved the event and everyone I met. Let me backup, so I was invited to this event and really wanted to attend, but Baltimore is an hour away and John Mark has the car for work. So after a little bit of research I ended up catching the Metro to Union Station and catching a train, the MARC, to downtown Baltimore. Very cool. The whole train thing was a little intimidating simply because I have never ridden one in the U.S. I had to buy my ticket on the same kiosks they have at the airport, get my boarding pass and find the correct gate. I was exposed to a whole other world where I could check my bags and go to places like Charlotte, NC or New York City. After I figured it all out, I was pretty happy overall with my experience and would like to do it again...maybe for a romantic weekend get away.
However, since this is a love/hate relationship, I must share the whole story! Even though I like pt just fine, it is still beyond me just how long it takes to get somewhere. My everyday commute is only 11 minutes.....or so they say on the Metro site. Nothing is more annoying than being packed like sardines in a Metro car, sweating profusely, only to be told by the operator, "we will be standing here for 3 minutes due to scheduling." That is just the start! In my short time of living in the city, I have experienced doors that would not open and tracks closed for maintenance so that trains in both directions were running on the same track. The worst though is a nasty smell that creeps up periodically. I don't know if it is the brakes or something mechanical, but it is truly nauseating and I am convinced that whatever it is it has got to be taking years off of my life. Although "an adventure in the Metro" does not happen everyday, it happens often enough that I have to give myself an extra 15-20 minutes of "just in case" time. Yes, I am aware that traffic is bad, but I still hold the opinion that it will take you half the amount of time in a car than on pt.
Well there it is- my love hate relationship with public transportation! Until my car gets here (and we somehow miraculously obtain another parking space), I will continue to use it daily.
When I think about public transportation (pt), what first comes to mind is that you have to live a city cool enough that everyone rides it. New York has the Subway, London has "the tube,” DC has the Metro and San Fran...well, I'm not sure if the locals actually ride the trolleys, but they are awesome. Sure, Dallas has DART and Atlanta has the MARTA, but these systems are not nearly as utilized as others.
I do think that it is amazing however, that pt will take me almost anywhere in DC metro area. Case in point, yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Baltimore for a professional women's meeting. It was a great networking opportunity and I loved the event and everyone I met. Let me backup, so I was invited to this event and really wanted to attend, but Baltimore is an hour away and John Mark has the car for work. So after a little bit of research I ended up catching the Metro to Union Station and catching a train, the MARC, to downtown Baltimore. Very cool. The whole train thing was a little intimidating simply because I have never ridden one in the U.S. I had to buy my ticket on the same kiosks they have at the airport, get my boarding pass and find the correct gate. I was exposed to a whole other world where I could check my bags and go to places like Charlotte, NC or New York City. After I figured it all out, I was pretty happy overall with my experience and would like to do it again...maybe for a romantic weekend get away.
However, since this is a love/hate relationship, I must share the whole story! Even though I like pt just fine, it is still beyond me just how long it takes to get somewhere. My everyday commute is only 11 minutes.....or so they say on the Metro site. Nothing is more annoying than being packed like sardines in a Metro car, sweating profusely, only to be told by the operator, "we will be standing here for 3 minutes due to scheduling." That is just the start! In my short time of living in the city, I have experienced doors that would not open and tracks closed for maintenance so that trains in both directions were running on the same track. The worst though is a nasty smell that creeps up periodically. I don't know if it is the brakes or something mechanical, but it is truly nauseating and I am convinced that whatever it is it has got to be taking years off of my life. Although "an adventure in the Metro" does not happen everyday, it happens often enough that I have to give myself an extra 15-20 minutes of "just in case" time. Yes, I am aware that traffic is bad, but I still hold the opinion that it will take you half the amount of time in a car than on pt.
Well there it is- my love hate relationship with public transportation! Until my car gets here (and we somehow miraculously obtain another parking space), I will continue to use it daily.
1 comment:
hey weatherly & john mark!!! i randomly found your blog (seriously, i randomly found it - not a stalker... haha!). you're in dc??!! how exciting - you guys are so fun & adventurous. we're in houston now (not quite as exciting as dc!). we have a website for our son - www.harpfamily.aboutmybaby.com. check it out with all of your free time in law school!!! haha! hope you're well!
kelly harp
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