MetroRiderLA

On saturday, I went to the movies with a few fellow metroriders (and one newbie) and naturally, we took public transit. We decided to go to the Chinese theatre in Hollywood. And since its reasonably close to home for us , we took the red line.

The movie let out around 1:20 am, and unfortunately for everyone in LA, the trains stop embarassingly early here, so it was going to be impossible to take that route back home. Well what to do?

A quick search of the MTA site via Sidekick (which is a whole other issue all together) revealed that our bus options were limited, but we had heard quite a bit about the newish Holly Trolley so we decided to give it a shot.

As we approached the classic looking street trolley, we could hear the pulsating beat. The well-dressed bouncer at the door was making the kid in front of us take off his colors before he got on. One dollar each later and we were on our way.

(more…)

I come out of my building for the second day in a row only to see my Rapid pulling away in the distance. Whatever, I can wait. As I get closer, I see a regular old normal bus at the stop down the block so I jog up. But as I get closer, I see a mechanic messing around underneath and a fellow in a wheelchair sitting patiently-esque on the lift. Eventually he does what he has to do and our friend is freed! Hooray! We can get on the bus!

No we can’t. The empty bus drives away. So I look back to the Rapid stop and see a slight commotion. A completely different wheelchair-bound fellow has apparently taken a spill off the curb and fire trucks and ambulances are coming for him. It looks like they know what they’re doing.
Up the block from me, I can see my Rapid coming for me so I stroll up to the stop. A 207 passes the Rapid and races to the stop I just came from as the Rapid pulls to a stop. Everyone gets off, and the driver zooms away. So I turn around and run back to the 207.

No problem, There are a ton of people trying to get on. In fact, There’s a bit of pandemoneum as people are jumping into the back door (without even paying!!)
I have a monthly pass and felt no moral conflict with jumping on with them.

Halfway home, the driver stops and hops off the bus for a few minutes, apparently doing some sort of mid-trip repair work.

You don’t get this kind of entertainment sitting in your car on the freeway. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I ride the red line to Koreatown every morning, changing at Wilshire/Vermont for the final leg. Any of the thousands of people who do this daily know that it involves a madcap dash down a long flight of stairs, all too often to find your train pulling away just as you reach the bottom.

Well the other day, I was only a 1/4 of the way down and saw the train there. I knew i wouldn’t make it. It was clearly impossible. But thats when I saw the hero of the day, a crazy bearded smiling dirty dude standing in front of the doors, wildly waving us in.

I felt such joy as I ran down those steps. But as I got closer, I began to question his motives. Was this hirsute man helping us out of a sense of altruism? Or did he have an ulterior motive? DID HE WANT MY POCKET CHANGE?!!?!

I made sure to get onto the train a few cars away from him.