Metro Rail, the DC Subway system is my daily ride to and from the office. The most recent time I drove to the office was May 4th, 2015 - almost two years ago. Yes, I remember the date.
Metro just finished a month of major track rebuilding on my line. During the four weeks of work, trains ran once every 24 minutes, instead of the usual once every 6 to 12 minutes. To avoid the sardine like riding conditions at Rush-Hour I was going in early, boarding the train at the time I usually get out of bed in the morning, and coming home early. I liked the getting home early part, the going in two hours early was a real bitch. Made me more of a bitch than usual. I am glad it is over.
I didn't realize how great the service was, until Metro made it much worse for a month. Maybe that is the hidden agenda, make the service intolerably terrible, so when it returns to just terrible, people will think it is great.
The ride is a little better, there are only a couple of spots along the route where it feels like they buried a dead burro under the rails. The goal is to make the trains less likely to fall over - it is embarrassing when that happens. And hopefully to keep the tracks and electrical supply from catching fire - though they had another track fire this week - and kept driving trains over it until a passenger called the fire department.
I was waiting on the lower platform at Gallery Place one afternoon recently and a commotion took place near me. A young woman screamed, I looked and she was in the arms of a young man. The man standing in front of me was laughing. When he caught his breath, he explained. The young lady was headed up the stairs, and a mouse was coming down the stairs. She saw the mouse, screamed, jumped into the arms of the nearest guy wearing tight blue jeans. The mouse turned tail and went to the upper platform - the Red Line, at afternoon Rush Hour - the poor mouse is likely still trying to get to her destination.
Some days, the views on Metro make it all worth while.
How is your daily commute?
7.5 mile drive one way against traffic; same coming home. takes 15 minutes each way. free street parking in front of my building. I fill my car's gas tank every 2 weeks.
ReplyDeleteWe loved DC Metro when we lived there in the '80s. And, yes, the view is very nice. Do you think he knew what you were doing?
ReplyDeleteOne of your wittier posts, my dear. My compliments!
ReplyDeleteWhen I had a commute--50 miles of rushing to work and 50 miles of rushing home. I ate a sandwich in the car for breakfast for 3 months. And, I lost 30 lbs by eating the same sandwich for lunch and the same soup for dinner, often eating dinner at work at work.
ReplyDeleteMy commute is a 30 minute drive on country roads, so not so bad, but it eats into the gas bill. Great view!
ReplyDeleteMine is full up with podcasts and medical lectures; never a dull moment.
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