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!

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. 

No, you're the worst!

So I've returned from the Big Apple and will definitely blog about it here soon, but in the meantime, I read this article in the Washington Post today that seems appropriate for my recent trip and my new love of public transit visits to other cities!

I do think above all, DC has one of the cleanest public transit systems in the country and it's not as bad as people think it is in terms of delays, track issues, etc.. Even with all my complaining, I still ride it and support its improvement and upkeep! 

Overall, the DC Metro definitely has more challenges than other cities do in working with two different states, the Federal government and all the jurisdictions it reaches in its 117-mile radial span. Funding, maintenance, emergencies, infrastructure, and expansion planning all can be put to a halt by one of the governing bodies, no matter how good of an idea it truly is. Ugh -- politics!

On the express train to DC town

Sorry, it's been a busy couple of days this past week or so with a conference in Baltimore, MD to start my week and now I'm playing catch up before all the holidays start tomorrow (Passover, newphew's birthday and Easter - phew!). 

Anyway, an update to the experiment I did a few weeks ago -- I actually timed the "Express train" the P878 to see how much time it actually takes off a one-way trip to DC from Germantown, MD. 

Again, I took a screen shot of my timer and drum roll, please...

It saves approximately 3 minutes and 15 seconds off a normal one-way trip. Again, the first time I did this, we did sit at Union Station for a bit before finally coming to the platform, but still, that means I save 2,762 and 1/2 minutes of my life if I take that train daily; 46 hours or almost 2 days worth. That's a mini-vacation I could be taking! :) But in all seriousness -- I'm happy getting up a bit earlier to get to work a bit earlier and savor a bit more of this wonderful thing called daylight when I get home in the evening. 

Anyway, I have some blog topics living in my head I hope to talk, er, I mean, write about here soon. In the meantime, here's an article I saw a few weeks back that could be fodder for us DC commuters: 

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/26083/heres-where-metro-railcars-go-after-they-die/

The weekend is almost here!

Living transit maps

I get daily Washington Post alerts and in today's, the lead article was about what a computer programmer did with the information from the Oyster cards used on London's Tube and visualized a day's worth of commuting in a very, cool map. 

Can someone do this in DC? Pretty please?!

MARC train has multiple personalities

How's that for a headline? Well, it happened this morning on the MARC train into work. 

I've been bragging about riding on the new MARC double-decker train cars this past week or so and love the new features. So, I was on one again this morning (and yes, those plugs ARE under every seat I've sat in, so far!). As the train pulled into Union Station, in WASHINGTON, D.C., I noticed something out of the corner of my eye that looked like "NJT" on the electronic scrolling screens, on the inside of the train. But then it flipped back to saying something about MARC. Proof below.

Then all the the sudden, the automated recording comes on the loudspeaker, telling all us WASHINGTON commuters "Thank you for riding the New Jersey Transit." Well, that woke everyone up and if you were really groggy, hungover, or just not with it, you might have actually thought you were arriving into Newark, NJ for a New Jersey Devils game (no idea why I chose that team, other than the fact I remember passing their arena on my few Amtrak train trips into New York City, which rides parallel to the NJT for a bit, if I remember correctly). It was hilarious. And probably was a "you had to be there" kind of moment, but still, it made my morning!

Clearly, the Maryland Transit Administration will need to update that, but I'm still a fan of these cars and hope I get to ride on them daily...which if I keep taking the 7:11 one out of Germantown in the morning, it appears I will! 

So, Happy Friday to all and hope you have a weekend as happy as this puppy is! 

A new fad?

So a few months ago, I watched this video online about a man who raced the Tube in London. I thought it was super fun and interesting as both a commuter and a runner (although I don't think I could do it). 

Well, it's gone local, folks. Someone just did it here in DC to celebrate a birthday. Sucks to be born in December and do this, but still...nice job!

Given delays, Metro cards demagnetizing, time of day, etc. I would think you'd have to prep for this pretty well and plan your course, as well as be in good shape. Or else this might happen:

Terrible, I know, but totally true.

And, people will comment as you're running by.

Or, if you're like me, get distracted, or lost, and end up just doing this the whole way.

FAIL.

Hangin' in the 'Bus

Sorry, I've been MIA since before Thanksgiving -- it's been a crazy couple of weeks in my world, which included a few travel snafus, but nothing too crazy to warrant a post in itself. 

Last week, the week back to work after the holiday consisted of, transit-wise: sitting next to people with terrible coffee breath, watching people pick their nose on the Metro and wondering, "Do they realize they are in the open public?", having a delayed train out of Union Station for more than 45 minutes one afternoon, and enjoyed two car-free days (pretty much): one day when my husband and I got to commute together or another, where we were meeting up later in the day to grab dinner and headed home straight afterwards, so we rode together again. 

I guess it's actually a good thing when I don't have eventful or crazy commutes and have nothing to blog about. So, yay for me, but sorry for you three (!) faithful readers.

I can also post that my husband and I recently traveled to Columbus, Ohio to see a Buckeye game at my Alma Mater and that we utilized the very inexpensive shuttle that was literally across the street from the hotel where we stayed and didn't have to worry about parking our car on the very large and very busy campus of The Ohio State University. Woot! Score 1 more for having a car-free experience. Seriously though, if you ever travel there for a football game, that's the way to go and it was this hotel (which was awesome!).

Speaking of Columbus: they apparently are targeting the very young and transient population of Washington, D.C. to come to their fair and much underrated city also known as "The Biggest Small Town in America", or as I (and many others) like to affectionately call it: Cbus. Saw this ad at the Union Station metro stop the other day and had to capture it for my Ohioan friends! Serious, it is a great city if you've never been.

Oh, and on that note: Go Bucks! 

These boots were NOT made for walking

I've become that girl. Or perhaps I should say woman. The woman my 21-year old self said I would never be. That young, throw-caution-and-severe-foot-pain-to-the-wind, kind of girl. 

Yes, I started the day thinking I could walk the "short" walk to the Metro from the commuter and Amtrak train platforms at Union Station in my very nice (and cute!) boots that went perfectly with my dressy outfit for the day. It's Fall. I'm a girl. We wear boots. And, I like to coordinate most of the time when I leave the house. 

But alas, the feet, they burned. Oh, did they burn after what normally doesn't seem like such a long walk...it felt like a mile in these boots! So my return journey to make my train was made in the ever-practical sneakers. The sneakers I saw the practical women nearly a decade ago commuting to and from DC on the train and swore I would NEVER do that. 

But, below is photo evidence that this happened, but unlikely to happen again for awhile...that's what cute black ballet flats are for. 

They kinda matched my outfit at least. 

I know I'm awesome...

You know what's annoying? Having someone sit right next to you when there are a multitude of seats open because it's Friday in the summer. And then even more so, when they continue to stay there the whole ride in until you arrive in Washington. Even when the seat next to them is free.

Now, I know I'm awesome (just like Jim here), and you want to sit RIGHT NEXT TO ME, but I do think personal space is underrated. I mean, it's early, I've barely drank my coffee, please go sit by yourself and let me be grumpy. And enjoy some of that open space yourself. 

On that note, Happy Friday, everyone!

Are you my Gym Teacher?

One of the best, yet weirdest things about taking the same train everyday is the same people you always see.

Some of these people also wear the exact same thing everyday. Well, maybe not the EXACT same clothes as the day before, but the same style or type of clothes.

My latest fascination with this, is a man who commutes into DC daily, and wears: jogging pants, a t-shirt and sneakers. Now, I have no issue with this, but on a train filled with politicos, lawyers, top executives and federal workers, you tend to see a lot of business casual going on. 

So, today, I ponder this question (and kinda want to ask him):

"Are you a gym teacher?"

Because, in all reality, why else would someone wear an outfit like this each and everyday to commute into downtown Washington. Again, no judgement - I am actually kind of jealous. 

Holding Court

So, I've realized there are people who ride the train who like the center of attention (even in the morning, grr) and almost "hold court" on a regular basis. Today I came up with this concept and now I shall aptly call them "Judges". They are usually loud and boisterous personalities. Sometimes they are nice. Sometimes they are not. Sometimes they have fun conversations I want to join in on -- wahoo, TV and movies! 

Many times what they are speaking of is really dumb and I want to correct them. Often times, since we live and work in and around our Nation's Capital, it is political conversation (which I will NOT let this blog become), but I find it funny -- both ironically and "haha" -- they are usually conservatively waxing about being taxed too much, yet here they are riding a relatively inexpensive form of public transit. Hmmm.

Anyway, these are interesting people to behold and I'm sure I'll have more specifics, but from here on out, they shall be referred to as the Judges. ::Gavel slam::