LIght Rail Miracle!

The miracle occurred after work last week. I was waiting to catch the light rail from Mather Field to 16th street.

Normally when people are late to the Mather Mills station, they have to run across both sets of tracks to catch the downtown train. Normally the downtown train driver just creeps slowly by blocking the latecomers with the long train.

Today was not a normal day! The downtown bound train driver actually stopped the train to allow these people to get to the other side of the tracks. He also waited until everyone boarded. He noticed that an older woman was not able to get to the other sides of the track to board his train, so he opened the doors on the wrong side to let her in!!!

Miracles do happen on Light Rail! Yay!

Going Car Free For One Whole DAY!

There was an article in the Sac Bee about a woman who went Car-Free for one day. Her response was to book a day that she had absolutely nothing to do, no errands, no appointments. So, she stayed in her home all day, thus living car-free all the day long. She said it was very relaxing and could see how it would be a stress-free way to live. However, after dinner, she had a craving for Coldstone Creamery and hopped in her car. DOH! She realized she couldn't drive that one day. So, instead of looking into a car-free way to get herself there, she just rationalized that she had done so good being car-free all day that she deserved the treat and drove there.

Lame.

It was a really sad article. It was sad that she didn't embrace the fun she could have with her children by trying out the bus and light rail. She could have found out a way to take the bus to a park or even the mall. Kids LOVE taking the bus and train, they go nuts! Instead, she just jailed herself at home.

Very sad.

Car VS Light Rail

Light Rail WINS...

...and makes all of us commuters 30 minutes late and make us miss our connections. Thanks for the memories!

Random Dancer

While riding the light rail home yesterday, everyone on the train smiled when we saw the Rubenesque dancing girl. She was shakin' her money maker on the sidewalk in front of an empty strip mall. Illuminated by the light of the setting sun, she danced her heart out to her own personal concert from the Walkman attached to her belt. The sight was so unexpected yet refreshing. I wonder if she was celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Week by giving us tired commuters a bit of entertainment for our ride home. No matter what the intent, she transformed a boring ride home into one to remember. Thank you, Dancing Girl!

Ahhh...Public Transportation

Public Transportation in the US?

After a horrible car accident, I have decided to not purchase a new car. I have lived in Europe just fine without a car, so I thought I'd try it out here in Sacramento, California. Regional Transit (RT) is our local transit authority and comprises of light rail and bus service.

My commute to work is 20 miles round trip. I walk to the light rail station then take light rail to a waiting bus. Door to door takes me about 40 minutes to get to work. If I drove, it would only take about 15-25 minutes, depending on traffic.

Why this blog?

Anyone who takes RT on a consistent basis will come across some very interesting sights, sounds, and smells. I thought it would be fun to log some of these cherished moments. I will post any interesting photos here, too.