I am shocked to realize how many days I have allowed to pass since the last time I used mass transit: how many hours I've allowed myself to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic, how many times I have needlessly filled up my gas tank, how many times I have come home late because of the storms-a-rama that have marched like Sherman through the South, how many times, how many times, how many times. After yet one more crappy drive home in bad weather with rude drivers all around me, I decided it was time to make a couple of phones calls and buy a month train pass and a month bus pass for May. Friday, I gave it another test drive. It worked out so much better than I had anticipated.
As the above photo shows, I had to catch the train...EARLY. :-( [I have to catch the 6:05 train to make my bus connections and get to the office by 7:30.] I am not a morning person. But then again, I am not a get abused by the auto and oil industries person, either. So, the alarm when off, and I got up. Well, I am leaving a little something out. I first set the alarm for 5 a.m. on Thursday morning. But the alarm went off, and I swore. I didn't make it that day. But I was able to shake it off. I'm glad I did. Friday was an excellent test run. I learned a lot about the journey between my first trip a few weeks ago and Friday's trip.
Before I forget, I wanted to link to a series of articles that the Nashville Scene did not long ago. The series is entitled, "In search of a more sustainable future, we ditch our cars for a week and find more than a way around."
Feeling a Bit Silly
I do feel a bit silly blogging about something that many people on the planet do all the time as a part of their daily lives: using mass transit. And while many people in America do this as well, not nearly enough do! Before I left on Friday, I grabbed my wife's digital camera in order to document the experience. These photos follow, of course. But before I paste them on this page, I want to talk about how my life is gonna improve. The reason? Nope: I am NOT bragging. I am listing these items in order for you to know that YOU may benefit as well. Okay, in no particular order, here are the ways that I am gonna benefit from leaving the car at the train station:
- Less gas. One fill up a month verses four.
- No car payment. Yep. I am gonna sell my car (2010 Kia SOUL) and buy something old and used.
- Less insurance. If you own a 20-year-old car, liability is good enough.
- Less $$ for lunch. If you cannot drive to a restaurant, it's hard to spend money for breakfast and lunch. Food in a lunchbox works just fine.
- Less $$ for...whatever. I almost never made it home in the car without stopping somewhere and buying something.
- More personal time. Driving to work, an average of one hour each way, five days a week, for 52 weeks is 520 hours a year. Okay, so, let's say I only use mass transit three or four times a week. Fine. I'll drop the hours to 400. Still, this is a big deal. That's a lot of time to read, to write, to close my eyes and relax, to, to, to, to.
- Get home earlier. I can get the 5:05 train home, getting me to my local station at 5:30. Home by 5:45. I usually get home at 6:15. So, that is 30 minutes more at home, five days a week, 52 weeks a year: That's a load of time home.
- My Temperment at the office and at home. Not having to suffer through the stress of a commute makes me easier to be around in the office and at home.
- AND: let's not forget about...THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE. That's right. I typed that. I can't tell you how much more...engaged I felt in the world as I moved through the city NOT in an automobile. My hope is that the following photos and notes will help illustrate this very important point, which might be the most important reason to park the car.
Okay, I am not gonna bull anyone. It's tough getting up an hour earlier than usual. But if you cross match that feeling with my list of benefits, it's a solid tradeoff. The Nashville Star Mount Juliet, Tennessee train station was my first stop.
I am afraid that this is about the best photo I can take of myself when I am half asleep, grumpy, and holding a small camera at myself. Notice how I am in no way worried about traffic lights, accidents, people riding my butt.
I saw a lady on the morning ride into town reading this book. Didn't appeal to me, but she sure seemed to enjoy it!
Figures that it rained in the morning. Was hoping for a smooth test run. Oh well, it worked out well. Nashville is within sight.
This is actually the second bus I had to catch. When the train arrived in downtown Nashville, there was only a few minutes before my bus (25) arrived. Jumped on, using my handy, dandy bus pass. Within six minutes, I was a few blocks away at the main bus termainal. Connecting bus was 9 at Bay 11, which is this photo.
Bay 11, from the Bay's point of view.
A photo of me, trying to look relaxed at Bay 11, while taking a photo of myself. Go figure. :-) The bus is interesting. There are the regulars.Newbies, like me. Funny how people have their favorite seats. I remembered all of the faces from my earlier test run. The previous night, Nashville's hockey team (The Predators) were in the playofffs, and folks had souvenirs destined for office cubicles. Many passengers were operating on only a few hours of sleep, and it showed. But everyone was happy and friendly: talkative. The belly laugher with his Roth hair was there, but he was unable to sit with his friend. It appeared that they felt cheated.
The office. I realized that the belly laugher and his friend worked in my building beause I saw them inside a few weeks ealier. On Friday, I watched where they got off. As the bus was pulling away, I realized that they got off two stops ahead of me, at a stop way behind my building. Even though they walked, I bet they entered the bulding at least five minutes before I did. Next time, I will slip out with them.
I have devoted one shelf in my corporate cube to the literary, creative side of my life. There's poetry, of course: Frost, Collins, and Driskell. A Pollock. God of the Cube, provided by my Dear Vonn. My favorite piece is a work of art that my son created.
The bus stops right in front of the building. Can't ask for much more, eh? :-)
Takes every bit of 15 minutes to get back to the center of the cty.
This is my destination, if I want to wait on the 25 bus, back to the train station down by the river. No thanks. I would much prefer to walk the few blocks and experience/enjoy the city, as the following photos show! :-)
The Arcade may just be my favorite part of Nashville, and I included it in my book. It's an important scene. The following pics are from its innards:
My first technical writing job in Nashville was in a highrise just in front of this alley. I would spend all of my lunch hours roaming downtown, and I spent many an hour here.
Every city needs both an Arcade and pair of wooden Native Americans.
This was one of my favorite spots in the Arcade. Every Friday, I was take a load of fresh peanuts home.
How cool is this place? It reminds me of my Uncle Jim's shoe shop in Louisville, Kentucky. He ran it for forty years before he retired and moved back to rural Kentucky. By the time I realized how much I liked him, I had left for the Navy and he had died.
I think this sign speaks for itself, and loudly.
The following sequence of photos follow the path that I take through the city in my car on the way home. For the past several weeks, I've seen these scenes daily, waiting for my time/turn to be on the sidewalk. I have no idea what took me so on.
I did throw some money in this guys's banjo case. I think it's rude to take photos of street performers and make a contribution.
I think alleyways are great.
Every Southern city needs a king. :)
Nashville's Riverfront train station.
The train left at 5:05. If I would not have been goofing off, I could have caught the train, verses the 5:45 train. Next time, I am walking in a direct line. :-)
The 5:45 train arrived soon enough.
Someone was reading this on the train on the way home. It's no Flaming Tree, but there you go. :-)
