Monday, June 15, 2009

Public Transportation's Reputation

Some people think that public transportation can be a terrible experience, with strange experiences, people, and uncleanliness. I thought I'd try out Phoenix's new light rail system and draw my own conclusion. After all--there's no higher level of evidence than observation (sorry, all--just a little bit of the auditor coming out of me):

Exhibit A: Emily, M, and M out on our first ride, happy to find it clean and pleasant. This is just AFTER the cops boarded the light rail for their regularly scheduled check for our tickets. I have no objections to this. It seems reasonable to check for tickets, and I'm guessing it works.
Exhibit B, six hours later: Not a joke. Just the seat I happened to sit down in. When I looked to the right, I saw the following. Yes, it's a razor. No, I did not look to see if it had been used. Yes, we moved immediately. Yes, there was trash next to that seat, too, although it was only a magazine. Fact: we were seated in the back of the light rail, so this is not a fair comparison to the middle, open area where we were seated before.

Conclusion: All jokes and opinions regarding public transportation are fair game. (But I might try to ride it again--just not in the back...)

2 comments:

Kelsey said...

Hi Emily! It's been too long since I've been on your blog. I didn't know Phoenix got a light rail. Does it provide any commuting convenience for you (not that you'd want to after the razor incident...)? I hope you're enjoying your summer and are planning something spectacular for your birthday. I wish I were there to make you a lava cake. I still think of that birthday party fondly whenever I see 99 cent packages of hot dogs (remember the pigs-in-a-blanket?)

Emily said...

No commuting convenience so far, but maybe in the future :). As for birthdays, I think that a lava cake sounds fabulous and loved the pics-in-a-blanket as well.:) I hope you have something amazing planned for your birthday, too, although it looks like you've had a fabulous summer already with the trip to Europe. It looked like you guys had a great time!