Taking Rapid Transit to Work

I live in West Hollywood and I work in Santa Monica. It's a good seven-mile commute that normally takes me about thirty minutes in the morning and forty five heading back in the late afternoon. Even though I drive a hybrid, I've gotten really tired of sitting in traffic idle, stressed out and exhausted every single day just to get to and from work, so I decided to try out the city's transit system: the bus.

I gotta say, I was impressed.

I planned my trip online Sunday night and this morning I knew exactly where and when to pick up my bus, how much it'll cost, and how long the trip would take. The bus showed up on time, it was clean and it was crowded, but not uncomfortably crowded. I sat down with the newspaper in hand. I got to read the main section and a few articles in the California section. On the way back, I finished the rest of the paper, caught up on my blogs, listened to my iPod, and more importantly, relaxed.

I highly recommend it. Google Maps has a great public transit site and your city might be on it. Taking public transit, I find, is not only responsible, but fun and allows you to relax and be more productive.

Comments

[Tom Coleman]

Indeed. I can hop on the 33 or 333 bus near the uncrowded end-of-the-line in Venice with only one transfer on the way to work at Third and Fairfax. Transit service in LA has greatly improved over the past 10 years or so. As you say, a good time and place to read the paper.

The main problem is dragging all the work and gym junk around so I usually default to the Hemi Magnum. Also its 9:30 pm and yet again I'm still at the office. And after a million + miles and too many street races to count, I stubbornly remain Bo Duke behind the wheel (make love to the car, not in it--I had a '68 Charger with a CB radio in high school, can still pass as a certifiable redneck when desired: what are YOU looking at?). A bad but usually enjoyable habit I need to break somehow, having miraculously reached middle age with only a few tickets, no "major" accidents and no arrests.

"He was nothing; the well is everything." Off to wet my beak at Bally's before retiring for the evening. By the way, on a "previous topic," I just finished "The Way of the World" by Ron Suskind. Best non-fiction book I've read so far this year. "Falling Man" by Don Delillo (now in paperback) was the best "fiction" so far, with three months to go. Salam.