My commute, aka "Hell", part 1
I complain about my commute a lot. It's probably in my top 5 conversation starters and makes a good ice breaker because people can empathize or be amazed... either way it evokes an emotional reaction in people that's hard to coax with most mundane topics. It being a gray, rainy Monday, I thought I'd explain my commute in excruciating detail... just so you know why I'm so miserable some days...
I leave the house by 7:30 am. If I'm a minute late, I could miss the train. Sometimes, even if I'm 10 minutes early, I can still miss the train. Knowing this puts me on edge before I've even gotten dressed. I have a 10 mile drive to BWI Marc station... that's usually about 20 minutes but can be 30, and has been an hour. It takes me down Lombard where I contend with MTA buses, school buses, kids that don't know what a crosswalk is, crossing guards who prefer to use up my green light rather than waiting for the red, illegally parked vans with religious bumper stickers (I think the 11th commandment should be: Thou shalt not park illegally during rush hour!), 18 wheelers turning right, etc... etc... etc...
Once I finally get to 895, I must prepare myself for tunnel traffic. I've noticed a certain pattern in tunnel traffic... when people get near the tunnel, they slow WAY down, sometimes even stop... they swerve into the other lane to avoid the big scary wall that is much farther away from them than they think, but don't worry about hitting the car next to them which is much closer than they think. If they see brake lights at any time, they automatically SLAM on their brakes, generating a chain reaction of brake slamming that often results in accidents. Is it the big dark hole that's scary? I can't really figure it out, but that must be it, because as soon as they get close to the tunnel exit, they speed up. Traffic isn't any lighter, it's just FASTER now... "Oh, I see daylight! Everything is ok! I can go 45 now!" And then... "Oh wait! There's a toll plaza! I know I pass through it every day, but I can never remember which lane to use! And after 15 years of living in Baltimore, I still don't have an EZ pass. I wonder if the teller has change for a $50?"
Finally I make it through the EZ pass lane, grateful that my commuter plan makes my toll 40 cents instead of $2. The rest of the drive is relatively easy. There's ALWAYS a cop right before the BW Parkway exit. People on 295 ALWAYS rush rush rush in the far left lane so they can get ahead of you right before the lane ends and they swerve in front of you and slam on their brakes because they just realized traffic is going 40, not 80. And the exit to the Marc station is full of people who can't merge.
So once I'm FINALLY at the BWI rail station, I park my car, usually on the 4th floor of the garage, run down to the ground floor, across the crazy driveway full of taxis (when there's a FREE shuttle to the airport!), then up the stairs, over the tracks, down the stairs, and wait. Wait for the train that's only on time when I'm running late. I board the train, look desperately for an empty window seat, preferably not near a group of chatty people because at 8 am I am SO not in the mood for that, and start my trip. I "get my little ticket out" because that's what my favorite conductor always says. I finish my makeup, play Soduku or read, and listen to my ipod. My precious ipod that drowns out the sound of the snoring guy in front of me or the guy behind me who won't put down his cell phone for a second, or the tourist that has to ask everybody about their commutes.
We go through several stations... stopping every 8 minutes or so. Finally we arrive at Union Station... theoretically at 8:40 but often later. I follow the hordes to the metro where I see the blind beggar man who wishes everyone "a nice day, a pleasant day", then down to the platform where I've usually just missed a train and have to wait 7 minutes for another. Why is the red line SO slow? Oh, that train is too full... have to wait for the next one. Ok, ok, now I'm on the train with a wee bit of breathing room... hold on for 4 stops to Farragut North.
Finally above ground again, it's a 3 and a half block walk to my office. I pass the starbucks that is way too crowded to even contemplate... and on the days I have, they've always gotten my order wrong. There's the crazy man in the long black leather jacket that yells at everybody. The mercedes drivers that don't yield to pedestrians. The vendor that makes me crave a half smoke at 9 am even though I've never had one in my life and certainly wouldn't buy one from him, it just smells so good...
Now I'm at the office. It's just a few minutes after 9 and I'm already exhausted. So not ready to work. Fortunately I can now eat breakfast, check my email, maybe post in my blog....
later, part 2, the return home! I know you can hardly wait!
I leave the house by 7:30 am. If I'm a minute late, I could miss the train. Sometimes, even if I'm 10 minutes early, I can still miss the train. Knowing this puts me on edge before I've even gotten dressed. I have a 10 mile drive to BWI Marc station... that's usually about 20 minutes but can be 30, and has been an hour. It takes me down Lombard where I contend with MTA buses, school buses, kids that don't know what a crosswalk is, crossing guards who prefer to use up my green light rather than waiting for the red, illegally parked vans with religious bumper stickers (I think the 11th commandment should be: Thou shalt not park illegally during rush hour!), 18 wheelers turning right, etc... etc... etc...
Once I finally get to 895, I must prepare myself for tunnel traffic. I've noticed a certain pattern in tunnel traffic... when people get near the tunnel, they slow WAY down, sometimes even stop... they swerve into the other lane to avoid the big scary wall that is much farther away from them than they think, but don't worry about hitting the car next to them which is much closer than they think. If they see brake lights at any time, they automatically SLAM on their brakes, generating a chain reaction of brake slamming that often results in accidents. Is it the big dark hole that's scary? I can't really figure it out, but that must be it, because as soon as they get close to the tunnel exit, they speed up. Traffic isn't any lighter, it's just FASTER now... "Oh, I see daylight! Everything is ok! I can go 45 now!" And then... "Oh wait! There's a toll plaza! I know I pass through it every day, but I can never remember which lane to use! And after 15 years of living in Baltimore, I still don't have an EZ pass. I wonder if the teller has change for a $50?"
Finally I make it through the EZ pass lane, grateful that my commuter plan makes my toll 40 cents instead of $2. The rest of the drive is relatively easy. There's ALWAYS a cop right before the BW Parkway exit. People on 295 ALWAYS rush rush rush in the far left lane so they can get ahead of you right before the lane ends and they swerve in front of you and slam on their brakes because they just realized traffic is going 40, not 80. And the exit to the Marc station is full of people who can't merge.
So once I'm FINALLY at the BWI rail station, I park my car, usually on the 4th floor of the garage, run down to the ground floor, across the crazy driveway full of taxis (when there's a FREE shuttle to the airport!), then up the stairs, over the tracks, down the stairs, and wait. Wait for the train that's only on time when I'm running late. I board the train, look desperately for an empty window seat, preferably not near a group of chatty people because at 8 am I am SO not in the mood for that, and start my trip. I "get my little ticket out" because that's what my favorite conductor always says. I finish my makeup, play Soduku or read, and listen to my ipod. My precious ipod that drowns out the sound of the snoring guy in front of me or the guy behind me who won't put down his cell phone for a second, or the tourist that has to ask everybody about their commutes.
We go through several stations... stopping every 8 minutes or so. Finally we arrive at Union Station... theoretically at 8:40 but often later. I follow the hordes to the metro where I see the blind beggar man who wishes everyone "a nice day, a pleasant day", then down to the platform where I've usually just missed a train and have to wait 7 minutes for another. Why is the red line SO slow? Oh, that train is too full... have to wait for the next one. Ok, ok, now I'm on the train with a wee bit of breathing room... hold on for 4 stops to Farragut North.
Finally above ground again, it's a 3 and a half block walk to my office. I pass the starbucks that is way too crowded to even contemplate... and on the days I have, they've always gotten my order wrong. There's the crazy man in the long black leather jacket that yells at everybody. The mercedes drivers that don't yield to pedestrians. The vendor that makes me crave a half smoke at 9 am even though I've never had one in my life and certainly wouldn't buy one from him, it just smells so good...
Now I'm at the office. It's just a few minutes after 9 and I'm already exhausted. So not ready to work. Fortunately I can now eat breakfast, check my email, maybe post in my blog....
later, part 2, the return home! I know you can hardly wait!