15 minutes to Baltimore?

This little nugget was in the local news yesterday. 

I'd take a 15 minute high-speed ride to Baltimore from DC. I'll be 75 years old, but still, what a great time!

I don't quite get the taco, but I like tacos. They are yummy.

Happy Friday, all!

I paid good money...to stand...and wait.

Yup, you read that correctly. I paid $2.15 to stand on the platform at Judiciary Square for 10 minutes. Train never came. No trains came. I check the app on my phone -- no trains to Glenmont. No updates from WMATA in my e-mail. I need to catch my MARC train out of the city. So I leave the station after asking one of the station managers if they know anything. I get blank stares. A train could have pulled up in the next 30 seconds. I wasn't waiting to find out. I decide to walk to Union Station and do make the 5:40 train home. 

Yet, even now, I continue to wait. I'm currently sitting on a stopped train on the bridge over I-270. Le sigh. I'll make it home eventually.

I paid good money to stand and wait today. That could have been some Starbucks tomorrow morning. Blarg.

Some graffiti art on the train overpass on I-270. Still glad I wasn't in a motor vehicle.

She's got a ticket to ride...

I wonder how many times I'll use that title in future posts...

Anyway, a quick update and a great "Score!" moment today, on this day after a 4-day holiday weekend (yes, I took Friday off). 

I took the Metro today -- was planning to since I need to stay in the city longer this evening. Love getting the update via my phone as I sit in 270 southbound traffic that because the MARC is delayed more than 20 minutes that the Metro will honor MARC ticket holders! 

Love you J-Law - don't let those hackers get you down.

Score!! that means a free Metro ride for me this morning and not standing in the line to go through the turn stalls -- loved flashing my ticket to a WMATA worker and walking through the emergency exit while all the other suckas paid. 

The Line Saga

Good afternoon, you faithful reader(s?). I know at least my mom is reading these...

Today, since it's Friday afternoon and I'm slowly losing my motivation to keep working, I'm going to tell you a tale. No, rather a saga, of The Line. Not just any line. The Line to board the train at the Germantown train stop.

When I started taking the train on a regular basis almost 2 years ago, I decided that even though there was a stop closer mileage-wise to where I live, that going to the more heavily trafficked Germantown stop would be the wiser choice for parking and timing to get there since the highway was an option to travel, versus just back roads.

What I wasn't prepared for was how many people board the train in Germantown in the morning and how many get off in the afternoon. We're talking hundreds, each day. Those blissfully sleeping people from West Virginia or Frederick are usually woken up harshly once the train arrives in Germantown, all because the seats around them quickly fill up and well, we need to wake their butts up to get to them!

Anywho, the amazing part about the Germantown station is The Line. Now, how would you normally think people board a commuter train? 

Perhaps like this?

Or even this?

Well, yes, this is normal at most Washington Metro and MARC stations I've encountered and really most mass transit in general. You find the door, and you pile on as quickly as you can. 

But no. No, no. Not at Germantown. Here in the land of Maryland Deutsche-town, lies the land of civility and LINES. Yes, you read that right, people line up to get on the train at this station. They line up like they are waiting for their food at a cafeteria, or tickets to a sold-out show, or the queue at Georgetown Cupcake on a beautiful fall afternoon. 

Now, I'm not sure when The Line first took effect, but the first few days I was there, I realized that I better get in line to wait for the train when I got there or promptly go to the back of the line. Now, being a seasoned rider and line-stander, I'm a dirty-look-giver if someone thinks they can just wait inside the station and waltz on out and melt into line when the train pulls up, when my bundled up rear-end has been waiting for 15-20 minutes in the freezing cold to make sure I'm ahead in line and can get a seat on the train.

My face when you try and cut in line.

Anywho, the best is when people start to physically push each other. I've only had this happen once or twice, but oh man, does it make me want to just start a chant "Fight. FIGHT. FIGHT!" really softly to see what happens. When the train pulls up, you see the guy who's NOT BEEN STANDING IN LINE, weasel his way into said line, receiving more than dirty-looks, but he also [poorly] chooses to do this in front of the person who has the cojones to PHYSICALLY and LITERALLY push them back and say, "BACK OF THE LINE!". Then they try to one up each other with the shoving and pushing to see who can get on the train first. My bet is on the seasoned-line stander, as crazy as it is, and as much as it's not an official rule, we make our own rules in Germantown. 

[Sidenote: I'd also love to be near the conductor who gets the tattles of these incidents: "He pushed me!" "Well he wasn't waiting in line." Conductor responds: "There are no rules about lines." Cue the collective looks from EVERYONE who has just got on the train at Germantown, as like we're part of some Mafia...oh there are rules alright.]

Speaking of mafias, if I could find an accurate GIF to demonstrate this beauty of a situation I would. So for now, one from one of my guilty pleasures will have to suffice.

I love Andy Cohen. No one puts Andy in the corner.

Until next time, kiddos, no shoving or pushing your way into The Line. At least at the Germantown station. Or else, NO SEAT FOR YOU!

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. 

Sometimes...

Sometimes you just don't want to haul butt to make the 5:20 train at 5:16. 

That's why there's another train in 25 minutes.