The end of an era...

Well the time has come, everyone. As of next week, I will no longer be a full-time public transit commuter. Before I begin my sob story and explanation, I will let you all know that when reviewing the lifetime of this blog (est. 2014), 2016 and 2017 were not stellar years for posts. I mean I guess carrying a human inside you for the majority of the first year mentioned and then actually caring for said human during the second and current one, doesn't leave a whole lot of time for blogging, especially with a full-time job. And any free time I do have (you know the 20 minutes before I pass out at night, or before a child begins to fuss and needs to be fed), is usually spent watching Bravo and eating three-day old Mac & Cheese, straight out the fridge. Priorities. Don't judge. 

Anywho, I hope you, you fellow readers, do not feel cheated these past two years. Maybe my commutes just weren't that exciting and I was not compelled enough to write a blog about it, or perhaps the fun little stories and thoughts in my head are just now consumed by the cuteness that is a baby in my life. Even so, this will be my last post as a regular commuter and maybe I'll make guest appearances on my own blog from time to time, if an experience or situation renders it so, because...

I got a new job! So, instead of working at a large Museum in DC, I'll be working for a small private college in the city of Frederick, MD. There's only one, so if you really want to know where, Google it. From where we currently live in Montgomery County, it's about a 20 minute drive, AGAINST TRAFFIC, one-way. This means, I'm getting about 2.5 hours of my day back in about 2 weeks. Amaze-balls. It was a tough decision to make since working at a Museum had been the ultimate goal and a career high-point for me. Why wouldn't I stay?! (See reference to cute baby thoughts above.) It is the best choice for me and the famiglia at this point in our lives. 

Fun fact: we are also looking to move to Frederick, so my commute at that point will make my 26 through 30-something-year-old-self very jealous. I haven't had an easy commute since I lived in Baltimore and could WALK TO WORK. So this will be beyond worth it. 

Now, in honor of my new gig, and new commute, I wanted to leave you all with my top 5. The top 5 things I will miss about the train every day, and the top 5 things I won't. Without any further ado...

SLEEP 

While my actual morning routine will improve and I won't be awake on purpose at 5 am anymore to get into the city, I will miss the ability to sleep during my commute. Not so easy when behind the wheel of a car. Now with a tiny human, any extra Z's I can get are always welcome!

BEING A NICE PERSON

Two words: Road Rage. I will definitely probably start my bad habits of yelling at other drivers, or being confounded by the ever unsolvable mysteries of bottlenecking, but thankfully my commute in a car will be headed in the opposite direction of the hoards of cars headed south on I-270 and once relocated, those back roads, or multiple alternatives to work will be my saving grace.

BUILT-IN EXERCISE

That new FitBit I just got will need some extra motivation once the commute changes. Right now, I walk quite a bit. When pregnant, it felt like I was walking 10,000 miles a day, in the heat, carrying a sack of potatoes stuffed under my dress. Now that I'll be in a car for 40 minutes a day (again, until we move), I will have to make the extra effort to get my butt to the gym, or take the kiddo for a walk in the evenings. But that's what all that extra time is for now, right?! (No, really it's for watching more Bravo and heating up my food. Let's be honest...)

PEOPLE WATCHING

This blog is evidence how much I like observing and seeing society at work. Especially when confined to close quarters [insert evil laugh]. Now, I'll be resigned to just accidentally seeing people pick their nose in the car next to me, or trying to figure out what that vanity license plate is supposed to stand for. So low-brow compared to the train.

WASHINGTON, DC

See this blog post. I've always been more of a city person and ever since I could remember, I wanted to be in (working, living, or playing) DC. My husband and I share such affection for this city and its where we spent time early on in our relationship, so I'll miss not having access to it every single day. Oh, and all the lunch spots. I'll miss those too.

So, now for the things I will not miss... 

THE OUTDOORS

And what comes with it. Mainly, weather. Don't get me wrong, I love nature and I love spending time in it. But really more so, on my terms and when I'm fully prepared for it, or have alternatives to not be in it in case of inclementation (not a word). I'll love not carting around an umbrella in my purse on a regular basis (that sucker makes it heavy!) and will absolutely live for the glorious-ness that is heat inside of my car and not spending more than 2 minutes outside walking from it to my office.

BLEEDING MONEY

While I'm a complete advocate for the cost benefit of taking public transit, with my shortened commute I will HALVE what I spend in commuting costs to DC daily. With WMATA ever-increasing their fares and even MARC upping theirs in the last year, it adds up and I was spending close to $4,000 annually to get to my job. That's some good deniro back in my pocket. 

SCHEDULE 

I'll definitely not miss being beholden to one when commuting. I'm a type-A person and I like to be on time, if not early, to pretty much everything in life. Therefore, it's super stressful to try and catch a train by running to it, or frantically watching my watch to leave enough time to make sure I can catch my last ride out of the city. Along these lines, I will also not miss the delays that occur and then impact my own schedule in terms of getting home to spend time with the hubster and my little guy. So, as WMATA continues to drag along like the months it takes for Game of Thrones to come back this year, I won't miss dealing with the powers that be (and other commuters too!) 'effing with my time.

TIME AWAY

I feel like this photo alone is my motivation for pretty much everything in life. No funny gif needed here. This is the reason I'm leaving you all for a life out in the country (not really, and shhh! Don't tell my husband I said that...he's even more attached to urban living than I am!). I will not miss the time away from my son. 

I'm sure I'll still have many tales to tell as I begin to travel for my current position. So let's not call this goodbye, but just a disembarkation at the current stop. I'll see you all on the other side of town!

Manners 101

I meant to post this a few weeks ago, but I encountered some rude dudes on the train all within a week, and two of them within one day!

First encounter: I have to preface this instance with describing the seats on the train. Throughout the new trains there are a handful of seats that face each other. See my lovely computer skills below with the diagram.

I was headed home on a Friday and after the week I had had, I decided to sit in the Quiet Car. I was perfectly content in a group of seats like the ones above, by myself, until someone joined me. That's cool. I was sitting in the lower right seat and she was in the upper left (or, I was in the southeast corner and she was in the northwest). Soon, another woman came along and decided she would sit in the northeast corner of the configuration by the window like me. She had a pull-along suitcase and decided to place it on the seat next to me which was along the aisle (the southwest seat, or the lower left). I didn't mind this too terribly much, but I do think it a bit presumptuous for her to assume her bag gets an entire seat to itself. I may not have a pull-along, but I carry a few bags each day and I always remove them from the seat if I see people coming towards me to sit next to me, or if the train is crowded. Never does my stuff get treated as precious cargo, or like a human. I understand that the suitcase may not fit under the seat or be conducive to put in front of her feet since I was sitting across from her, but nevertheless, I feel it is a bit rude to do this. So anyway, we move on and the train leaves DC.

Which leads me to my second encounter that day: The girl who was sitting in the northwest seat had been reading most of the first 15-20 minutes of the trip and then it happened. The really rude thing that I've witnessed before and that the MARC train even has signs to state you shouldn't do this: SHE PUT HER FEET UP ON THE SEAT ACROSS FROM HER (the southwest one). The one that the other lady's suitcase was on. And she kept them up there for the entire ride until I got off at Germantown. Really?! Like, this is NOT your living room. And if I had taken a picture and Instagram-ed it, that would have been my hashtag for it. #notyourlivingroom 

So by the time I was driving home, I was just thankful it was the weekend. I have since started riding in the Quiet Car on the way home when I take that particular train (lots of happy hours happen in the other cars!), but I haven't encountered either of these ladies again. Thank goodness.

This brings me to the third encounter: I've seen this young lady before, but this time I got photo proof of how far rudeness can extend:

Like, really? This is not your bedroom at home. You must nap like all the rest of us sad commuters and get a kink in your neck from all the head bobbing that occurs when sleeping sitting up. Pshaw. 

Still, in other news, this became fodder the other month and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. When in DC, YOU STAND ON THE RIGHT, WALK ON THE LEFT. Keep it moving, people!

Until next time...which will probably be tomorrow or later this week as I have some news...!

UPDATE: A travelin' (wo)man

UPDATE: It's been almost two years since I posted all the cities I've traversed their mass public transit systems, so I wanted to provide an update. See my newest cities (in purple) since early 2015 that apply. Not many, but I'm making progress!
--
I was thinking this morning that I've traveled a lot in my life and in recent years have found myself wanting to take public or mass transit when visiting other cities and countries, if nothing else, to see how their systems compare to my beloved DC. 

So I cataloged all the US cities and international cities where I've utilized their public or mass transit systems. First note to mention: I say 'mass transit' in addition to 'public' because a lot of time overseas their transit is actually privatized, at least in Europe, and that's a whole 'nother discussion for a different post (andwhyIthinktheUSisbehindontransit, coughcough).

I also would like to define what I consider to be "mass or public transit". This is city/county buses, commuter/regional rail, subways, trolleys and light rails. This does NOT include passenger rail (i.e. Amtrak), planes, ferries, taxicabs, or ride-share services. 

So without any further ado, here is my ever-growing list that I would like to continue to enhance! (ordered by proximity to where I call "home")

Washington, DC (obvi) and surrounding jurisdictions and nearby cities (MoCo, NoVa, etc.)
Baltimore, Maryland
New York, New York
Columbus, Ohio
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts 
Chicago, Illinois
New Orleans, Louisiana 
Las Vegas, Nevada
San Francisco, California 
Seattle, Washington

London, England
Paris, France (twice!)
Pisa, Italy
Rome, Italy
Athens, Greece

Sadly, I've been to plenty more cities and places than this, but either due to circumstance, stupidity or age, we didn't utilize the public transit systems in those places, walked, drove, or cabbed A LOT, or I just don't remember it. Here's to hoping that changes and I can teach my future children about the importance of it someday and cities continue to improve their transit so that tourists feel compelled to use it! 

-- 
Addendum: I also am proud to say that I've now conquered public transit with a baby -- albeit, just the Washington, DC metro, but still, I feel like that's an accomplishment and definitely one to write home about!

Offense of the day

Hey there, ho there, faithful readers (hi mom!).

Since my last post, I had a baby. So, there's that. It happened about 2 1/2 weeks after my last entry to this blog, to be quite honest; my little one made their debut much earlier than anticipated and still weighed over 8 lbs. So, yeah -- way to be wrong in calculating due dates, doctors. Now I understand why I was so miserable those last few weeks in the DC heat. 

What I felt like during the last months of pregnancy.

Anywho, I returned to work last month and am back to the commuting. Overall, it's been OK. I know Metro is going through it again with large swaths of firings due to budget constraints. And Mr. Wiedefeld is definitely showing his exhaustion with this job. But overall, I haven't had too many issues that I can recall enough to complain about, but I'm also a new mother, so that might just be the lack of coffee in my system for not remembering.

This is not my child, but man, can I relate some days.

I also spent part of my first month back to commuting coming in from West Virginia on the MARC train. Well, kinda West Virginia. I stayed with my parents who live out there near the Harper's Ferry/Charles Town area, but I drove over to Brunswick, MD to catch the train for the few days I was staying there. There's ample parking at that station and more options for getting to DC each day. Even so, it led to much longer days than I wanted -- getting up at the same time as I would if I were home, to travel further and longer. Then I was arriving to work a bit later and getting home later in the evening. It was do-able, but I'm glad I don't do that everyday. It also was worth it so my parents could enjoy time with my little one and I didn't stress about him very much.

Love me some Atlanta housewives. And me at the end of my long WV commute.

So here we are today, and I've found my first offender since back on the commute. You all might know him as "The Leaner". You know, the guy who leans all over the poles of the Metro car, not giving you any spot to grab on when the train decides to herk and jerk its way to the next stop. 

Thanks, Patrick Stewart for contributing to this madness. 

(Note: I did not see Patrick Stewart this morning.)

So there I am, all 5 foot 3 inches of me, bundled up in winter gear, carrying two bags (one being a heavy-ish breast pump) and trying to strain my dominant arm up to the only available place to hold on to, about 2.5 feet above my head. And he's just straight chilling next to me, leaning up against the only pole I could realistically reach -- one of the handicap accessible areas by a door (which, of course, leads to less places for people to grab onto in general). 

How I felt rolling into Judiciary Square today.

Then as the train came into my station, since he is by the door, he proceeded to NOT step out of the train to let people exit. He just stood there. Still leaning. Still being oblivious to his rudeness. I hope my breast pump hit him on the way out. 

Happy Monday, y'all. It's good to be back! 

She moves in mysterious ways, and very, very slowly...

So, again, my apologies for not posting anything since April. It's been crazy in my personal and professional life, so even though ideas percolate for a post or two, I don't always get the chance to jot them down, but I'm finally taking a half hour to get something out there for you faithful readers (again, thanks, Mom!).

For starters, I have a quick update in terms of my personal life, which relates to part of this post, buuuuuuut...I'm about six weeks away from popping out a child! Yup, you read that correct -- I'm very much preggers. 

Haven't tried this yet, but I have no plans tonight...

Just a funny lady dancing with her belly.

This impacts my commute greatly the further along I get in gestation. I'm finding it harder and harder to walk quickly to catch my train in the normal 15 minutes I used to allow myself when leaving work in the evening. Now, I leave 40 minutes before the train leaves and take bathroom breaks on either end. Oh, the joys...

I'm also starting to notice how many more people are willing to give up their seat for me on the Metro. I wrote about this once and how I only thought the seats in the middle of the train with signage were for the disabled (or one might say, "very pregnant lady with swollen ankles"), but I'm getting offers for seats all over the train almost daily -- mostly from other women. I've gotten one or two males chivalrously willing to give up their seats, but I only take someone up on it if I'm on the train for more than a few stops. Since I typically only go one stop, I usually say "No thank you" -- it's easier than sitting down and getting back up in the short time I'm actually riding the Metro. (All that extra weight on your hips makes it hard to sit too -- oy!)

I have to admit this pregnancy has been fairly easy and uneventful beyond the normal swollen-ness that tends to be exacerbated with the July/August humidity in Washington, DC. I'm ready to be done with the whole carting around this extra 30 pounds or so and hold that cute squishy baby every day. But alas, the kid still has to cook a bit longer.

In other news, I have also ridden the Metro three times with the WMATA General Manager, Paul Wiedefeld. When I say "ridden", I do mean, like standing right next to the dude on the Metro car and getting off at Union Station together. The first time he got off at the station, I thought "Oh, he must have a meeting here or something." The second time, I watched where he went (no, I'm not a stalker...) and he actually takes the MARC train too -- to somewhere near Baltimore, but alas -- TRAIN BUDDIES! 

So, I give the guy some credit, he actually takes the Metro to and from work, and beyond that, invests himself in other modes of public transit! As much as the Metro sucks these days, I have faith that he'll get the job done and we'll once again not have to wait 12-18 minutes for a train during this hell he's created called SAFE TRACK. Oh, I guess I haven't had to mention that before since it started in June and it's been...well, it's been less than pleasant, but completely necessary. I'm just more ticked off about the timing of all this paired with the condition I'm currently in.

Anyway, I'm rambling. It's also Friday, so here's a cute puppy for both #nationaldogday and the fact that I'm soooooo jealous of this dog right now. 

This would be the life for me today.

Updates galore!

My apologies for not writing ANYTHING for almost a year. A lot has happened in that year, but one thing is still the same...I'm still commuting. On a train. So, I will continue this blog as long as I feel motivated and inspired by my 2.5 hour commute each day. Woo!

Some updates since the last post regarding the state of the Washington transit systems that I wanted to be sure was brought up since, you know, posts haven't happened in 8 months.

Two of these are my favorite that WMATA announced since the new General Manager started at the end of 2015:

1) A GRACE PERIOD WILL START IN JULY! Yes, you heard me. All my complaints about paying Metro fare only to have to turn around and walk back out, $2.15 poorer when there are issues and delays have paid off. This might be one of the smartest moves the new GM has made since starting and if nothing else, will pay off in good PR for the ever failing system.

Yes, this news makes me wanna dance! Go Jimmy, Go Elmo!

2) PLATFORM SIGNS WILL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE NOT TO RUN LIKE IDIOTS. Well, no, they will still run like idiots most likely, but at least they will know how far they need to run to catch a 6-car train at the busiest stations. I've seen one at Union Station and I'm sure they are at others, but even still, why they didn't think to do this earlier, I'll never know. Now, why they still choose to even run the 6-car trains, that I'd like to know. ALL the trains should have 8-cars. Period. (Especially during rush hour.) 

Run, Batman, Run. Don't leave Robin behind at Ballston.

Now, for the not-so good updates. WMATA has had all sorts of issues since last year and it's only gotten worse. This article in itself is a good summary to show the sort of boondoggle WMATA had years ago and did nothing about, hence the issues we are dealing with in 2016. You know when they threaten to shut down entire lines in the system, and actually do shut down the entire system for a day for safety checks, ish has gotten real bad. So, on that note, happy 40th birthday WMATA, may you hopefully begin to age just as gracefully as some of your transit siblings to the north and the west. 

Oh, I didn't even mention the MARC train. Thankfully things have been going alright on the good 'ol commuter rail, so ::knock on wood:: hopefully it continues into the summer and makes my life easier as things in it start to get more exciting and complicated. (I'll mention that in a future post, I'm sure).

Also, I did travel a bit since my last post and have experienced some more transit systems across the country, including New Orleans and Las Vegas. We also went to Chicago, so my husband got to experience the "L" Train for the first time. This summer we plan to visit Nantucket, and so, there will be ferry rides! (Aside from a very good friend having family up there and inviting us, I'm so excited to visit the location of one of my favorite TV shows ever. Yes, I'm a loser, but I don't care.) So, yay for experiencing transit in all sorts of different places!

For now, I bid you adieu and leave you with this. Just because, well if you aren't aware of American politics at this juncture, well, these* can catch you up:

Always with the side eye, Bern.

"I dunno where Bill is."

Neither do we, Hill. Neither do we.

This. This might have made me blind.

*By posting these GIFS, the writer is not endorsing any specific candidate, just making fun of them all. 

The writer has also intentionally forgotten about the other two candidates still in the race. Whoops.

What is wrong with people?

You encounter so many people on public transit if you take it everyday. WMATA has the joy is serving every type of customer in the Washington, DC region, but you get some very interesting characters on the MARC train as well. Here are a few of the experiences I've had, as well as deplored the people making these strange, and gross things happen.

So, on the MARC trains, they very explicitly ask you to not put your feet on the seats of the cars, but yet it happens.

This is not your living room. Please put your shoes back on.

Speaking of shoes, I've definitely heard the sound of nail clippers on the train before. I really hope that they're doing their hands and not their feet, although both are equally gross, in my opinion, to do in a public space.

My face the first time I heard that sound...and it continued for an entire train ride to DC.

Then there's the smells. Sometimes in the summer, we've all sat next to someone who didn't apply deodorant as liberally as one should during June, July and August in swampy DC, but hey, it's summer, it's gonna happen. And unlike WMATA, you can bring food and drink onto the train to eat and sometimes I'm jealous of those people's dinners with the smells I'm smelling, but other times it's something so all-encompassing that it just elicits an... 

'Nuff said.

Can anyone say seafood? 

Finally, yesterday I had one of the most annoying experiences on a train. The man across from me did not stop for about 40 minutes straight, chomping his gum, with his mouth hanging open, between chews. I tried to glare at him, but it didn't work. I even tried to put a piece of gum in my own mouth, hoping the sounds of myself chewing (mouth closed, of course) would drown him out in my head. Nope. Needless to say, I was happy to finally get off the train and let him continue on to his destination and have dinner with the cows. 

Yeah, I went there.

I mean, from time to time, I'm sure I do things that annoy or gross people out on the train. You know like putting on my make-up because I was running late that morning, or pulling my hair back into a ponytail, or probably the one thing that actually MAY gross someone out, depending -- changing from my regular walking flats to my gym socks and sneakers to save time. Yeah, all those things I just listed...not that gross!

Anyway, hopefully this is the only list I have to make and it never gets any longer. And for your Friday...

Pounce!

Oof.

Past my time!

I'm overdue for a post. 

I know it's been awhile since I was regularly posting and I had taken a hiatus from commuting for about 2 weeks in June and just never got back to thinking about funny stories or interesting topics for you all. 

Also, I've been pretty lucky in these few weeks since I returned to commuting on the train again, so in that honor, I'll leave you this GIF and make the promise to start thinking deeply about my commutes once more.

Thursday Blues-day...wait, that doesn't rhyme...

Yes that doesn't rhyme and it was just one more thing to go wrong on my commute home yesterday. I left work right around 5 pm, but a couple minutes later than I normally would. I will call this mistake number 1. 

I waited at Judiciary Square on the Glenmont side for probably 20 minutes. 2 trains came through in that time, both of them packed to the gills with people and no one getting off. During this same time I counted 7 or 8 trains going towards Shady Grove -- clearly they were not having any issues on that track. I finally gave up and decided to walk to Union Station* (mistake #2 -- more explanation on that at the end of the post). PS - I've been having an issue with my right foot in the last week and it gets irritated the more I walk or use it, hence, all the time I'm upright, so this was a fun almost mile walk, in the heat yesterday afternoon. 

By that point, I had missed the 5:20 pm train, and might make the 5:40 pm departure. Nope. Didn't happen. Especially with the foot issue. I walked into the station right at 5:40 and wasn't even going to attempt any sort of rushing movement. 

I was definitely no Betty Boop yesterday. 

All red-faced and limping.

The next train didn't leave until 6:20 pm, so I sat and waited. Only to receive an e-mail that THAT train might be delayed due to equipment issues. By 6:13 pm, a track still hadn't been posted for the 6:20 train (they usually post them anywhere from 15-20 minutes out from departure, if known). At that point, I received an e-alert that the 6:20 WOULD in fact be leaving on time, but with one less car, so to expect "crowded conditions". Yay. 

Because I received the e-mail, I started making my way out to the platforms and as I reached the door, I was lucky enough to hear the MARC customer service rep say that our train would be on track A-15. Yippee! I was one of the first people on the train and got a seat thankfully due to that saintly MARC rep. 

But wait, there's more.

::Stomps foot::

But, I don't wanna, Heather Dubrow of the OC Housewives (love her!).

The train I got on had no power, so it was hot. And quiet. And dark. And it seemed like the conductors weren't sure it would turn on, hence the delay and issues. But come what may, at 6:35 pm (15 minutes after the train was supposed to leave, if you're keeping track), the power came on and by 6:40, we were moving westward - Hallelujah!

I finally arrived home at 7:30 pm, 2.5 hours after I left work and ready for some pizza - thanks, hubs! - and HBO -- re-watching The Wire after reading this yesterday...LOVE LOVE LOVE that show. 

*Ultimately, I should have decided to just cross the platform at Judiciary Square and take a train in the other direction towards Shady Grove, getting off at Rockville and catching the MARC train to Germantown from there. I probably would have caught my earlier intended 5:20 train or at worst, the 5:40 train from Union Station from there AND I wouldn't have lost money standing on the Metro platform. Oh well, lesson learned. 

I still don't know why everything was royally messed up yesterday afternoon, maybe it had something to do with the fabulous year WMATA has been having so far. Lord only knows.

Happy Friday, y'all. Here's a puppy rolling around in a ball pit to make myself and you feel better about life.

Signage much?

Just read this in the WaPo about better signage at Metro stations and how we could all stand to learn a few lessons from our forefathers in London. 

Honestly, I don't really know if it's bad or good in terms of signage on the Metro. Maybe it's because I've just been riding long enough to know which stop I'm at without looking up (at least on the Red Line). Either way, a few times I've had to look up (I was tired, ok?) it is sometimes VERY hard to see outside the windows to a sign and if you're on an older car, the inside LED screens NEVER work. So, I guess WMATA could stand to make things a bit brighter and re-program some of their technology.

10 years in the making...

So, I realized I needed to write this post before the month of May is over; it's been sitting as a draft in my folder since March or before. Anywho, the point of this post is to celebrate that I've officially been a commuter for 10 years now. Well not full-time for the whole 10 years, but it was 10 years ago this month that I had my first taste of what it would be like to commute daily to a job, via a train. 

It was what I liked to dub "the best, most expensive summer" of my young life. I was 21, had just returned from an amazing study abroad experience with my art history pals in Greece (the best and most expensive part). I had actually had my birthday to celebrate my legal drinking status while in a small fishing village, in the southernmost part of the Peloponnese region of the country -- probably my best birthday to date. 

See!? There's me and a cake in that tiny fishing village in Greece! 

Opa!

I returned home and within a day or two, was set to start a full-time, 2-month, unpaid internship in the heart of Washington, DC at the Smithsonian American Art Museum  -- again, hence the expensive part bolded above. To help with those expenses, I lived at home with my parents in Frederick County, Maryland and decided I would take the MARC train each day, versus the Metro where you faithful readers would know, I'd had to pay to park and it would have easily been a 1-hour drive on the congested I-270 from my little rural town just to get to Shady Grove (I'm much more conveniently located nowadays).

I remember the Sunday before I was supposed to start, my parents and I took a drive from Middletown, MD to Brunswick, MD, showing me the beautiful route through Burkittsville, MD -- where they are most famous for this cult horror film. It was about a 20 minute drive to the station from my childhood home and there was ample parking in Brunswick, so was the ideal place for me to pick-up the train. My parents thought if I could buy my ticket the day or night before I wouldn't have to worry about it on my first day. I remember I wasn't able to since the station was closed for the weekend and alas, the ticket would have to be bought on the train the next morning. (I'm just now remembering how much planning my parents instilled in me -- it's very evident as I get older.) 

The next day, I woke up at 5 am (yes, you heard me) to catch the 6:30 train from Brunswick. I got to the station in plenty of time and was one of the first people on the train since Brunswick was the point of origination for this particular train. I remember the feeling of nervousness and excitement, all contained in my young, fresh 21-year-old self and I definitely remember feeling how mature I seemed -- commuting into the big city with all these seasoned, hardened professionals! 

90 minutes later, I believe I made it to DC with no incident and proceeded to take the Metro the two stops on the Red Line over to Gallery Place/Chinatown. My first day, I'm sure, was a blur, and most of the other interns were living in the city, paying several hundred dollars to rent a room or be a part of a house-share, as they were not local. In that, I was very thankful. (Even though the 5 am wake-up time continued ALL. SUMMER. LONG. Let me tell you, as a college student...this was not easy and usually resulted in a 10pm bedtime...oy!) But I do remember the return trip home that first day.

Since it was the end of May, late afternoon summertime storms are a regular occurrence in an area like Washington due to all the humidity. Our train (at 5:20pm, I believe) was delayed leaving the station for some reason -- maybe for only 10 minutes, but still, delayed. Then there were heat-restrictions in place, meaning the trains have to travel at a reduced speed when the temperature gets above a certain point (85 degrees Fahrenheit I want to say?). Then finally, as we got closer to Brunswick, I recall the heavens opening up and dumping something fierce on the train. Lightning, thunder, and bears, oh my. It only lasted maybe 5-10 minutes before it was over and then the train stopped. Whaaaaaa?

Apparently lightning had struck a tree further up and part of it had fallen along the tracks. Now, we were stuck. I think we finally started moving about a half hour later. By the time I reached my car at Brunswick, it was after 8pm and I knew that when got home, I'd only be able to eat dinner before I passed out to do it all over again the next day. My mother (to this day even) could tell you I was so irate by the time I came home; I kept telling her how helpless I felt being stuck on the train and "at least in a car, you can find an alternate route!!" ...Oh, tiny, young little Me, how little did you know. How impatient you would become. 

She seriously thought I wouldn't last the whole summer doing this commute. Neither did I. Today, I much prefer the being trapped on a train if there's an issue, because being trapped in a train happens FAR LESS than being trapped in car, in slow-moving traffic, in this VERY, VERY congested area of the country. Thankfully, I think I just had bad luck to have the one of very few times the train had an issue on my first day. After that, I only remember one other serious delay that summer and that was with Metro, within the District, and well, you all know how regularly that happens. (No thanks to this!)

When my internship ended at the end of July, I spent the rest of the summer before my senior year traveling to Arizona and cruising the Caribbean for one of my best friend's weddings (again, another reason why it was the best and most expensive summer ever). The internship and all the traveling had left me feeling so grown-up and ready for the next phase of life and starting my career. 

Here I am in Cozumel, Mexico (via the cruise), apparently showing off a cow.

There were also moments on the train that summer where I felt very lucky. Each and every morning, the train would come around a corner before arriving at Union Station and if I was in the correct seat, you could see the dome of the Capitol in the distance. The first time I saw it, I got goosebumps and continued to get them everyday. How lucky was I to be able to travel to and from the Nation's Capital each day to learn from the people who were working in my desired field, and in part because of that experience, where I would ultimately end up for my career.

I wouldn't commute on a train again until I started working once more in the DC area back in the spring of 2010. I would then start commuting full-time on one in the fall of 2012. And since then, each and every day, I still feel that lucky as I did in 2005. You can no longer see the Capitol Dome as you round that corner -- much of the area around Union Station has changed in that 10 year period and although no buildings reach higher than the Dome, the angles and shapes of the newer buildings do obscure it from view. 

But you know what? I still get goosebumps. I get them when I step off the train and all the people rush towards the station each morning. I feel them as I see the Capitol right in front of me as I exit Union Station. I get shivers daily when I walk into my Museum, knowing I ultimately ended up right where I belong. And, it's overwhelming when I actually think about it all and thank the universe for giving me that opportunity so long ago.

Sorry to have been such a sap and reminisce on this long post, but I have been crafting it in my head and in my drafts folder, probably since I started this blog, or before. Thank you for sticking with me -- through the post and through the blog so far. I hope I can continue to offer witty, intelligent and sometimes silly commentary on the life of being a commuter. Apologies for any typos - I'll firm up soon.

Don't stop, MOVE (to the side)!

Ahhh, warm summer months in DC bring the most dreaded time of year for anyone who lives here -- tourist season. Although it technically starts much earlier in March or April with the Cherry Blossoms, it continues straight through Labor Day with Segway tours, matching t-shirts, and just overall hell for the crowd-anxious people of the world (me). And as much as I appreciate them stimulating our local economy with their hard-earned tourist dollars, I just implore one thing to them as a daily commuter...

For the love of Pete (Sorry, Pete, whoever you are), if you're going to stop and look at your phone on what Metro stop you need next, or check a map for directions (do people still use these?!), or perhaps dig around in a purse or pocket to find your Metro card, PLEASE (and I really do say this nicely...in exchange, I will not yell at you on the escalator when you stand to the left, mmmk?), MOVE TO THE SIDE AND GET OUT OF THE WAY. 

Maybe this is Pete's sister?

I feel this is just common sense whenever you visit a new city or place, but it baffles me how many people don't realize how bad of an idea this truly is at 5pm on a Tuesday at Union Station. Anyway, rant over. Go about your days, people. 

Oy vey, Monday.

Oof, it was a bad start to the week on Metro this morning. Thankful I don't have to ride the blue-orange-silver line most days and not thankful that it makes for a very simple blog post from the Local Motive Girl. Still, I think the going score is Smoke and Fire - 2, Metro - 0.

We feel your pain, Woody.

A Metro Love story

Awww, read this and you'll be even more happy today besides the fact that it is Friday. 

It makes me smile to read about other people's happiness and reminds me of my own proposal and love story :) Ours was on a beach since my husband knew I loved beaches and it was my first time on a Florida gulf beach -- beautiful! Only downside was that it was August and SUPER hot. Still, it obviously ended well and it's nice to talk about and relive that moment together. 

Can we go back? Pretty please?!? :)

There are certainly cute ways to get engaged these days -- flash mobs, jumbo-trons, romantic dinners, and it can definitely lead to creative wedding theme ideas -- I especially like the Metro-themed tables at the end of the article -- delays of your meals are bound to ensue!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Um, no thanks.

So I've posted before about paying for Metro, waiting for a train for 10 minutes, only to leave the Metro and still paying $2.15. Well, I did that again today, but only waited about a minute before I made the decision to back up and leave.

I arrived in Union Station from my MARC train and walked to the Metro without checking my e-mail for alerts <--foreshadow: that was a mistake. I entered the turnstiles, registered my card and saw all the people at the top of the escalator looking down on the platform at all the OTHER (ahem, a lot) people waiting for trains. That was all I needed. I immediately turned around and walked back out the turnstiles to walk the .9miles to work. 

Oy, when will Metro get something to alert people as they enter the station BEFORE they pay for their entry? Also, I wondered if there was a grace period about entering and exiting a station within a minute if you don't get charged...my initial research came up with one of my favorite Traffic bloggers in the area, Dr. Gridlock, and something he posted about it in 2010:

Q: If you enter a Metro station and see that the platforms are overcrowded, etc., and then just turn around and go back into the office, you are charged for entering/exiting the same station (minimum fare).

Metro claims that they do this so as to prevent a conspiracy of two people exchanging farecards/SmarTrip cards and then entering/exiting "same" station. The problem with this response is that there is still a monetary incentive to do this type of conspiracy because of the the distance charge.

Furthermore, couldn't metro just have a 10-minute grace period of entering/exiting same station? You go in and realize it's terrible. Or, they could just apply zero charge for entering/exiting station to SmarTrip cards and have triggers whereby it's not allowed more than X number of times per month. Can we just get Metro to admit that they are just trying to get more money out of us even when they have disaster days (not uncommon)?

A: I think what Metro should do is make sure that its station managers are alert enough to discover problems on their platforms and have the means to quickly post signs warning incoming riders about severe delays.

Right now, riders don't necessarily have a way of knowing what's going on before they see the platform. (We talked about this a moment ago regarding the lack of consistent e-alerts about disruptions.)

Source: http://live.washingtonpost.com/gridlock-1025.html 

So it appears you do get charged (at least back in 2010) and they still HAVEN'T found a way to know about delays before you pay to enter the station! Grrr...just another fun day as a Metro rider in DC.