SC: Respect the Transpass (Transit Roulette part 2)

elSicomoro · 09-28-2002, 01:49 PM

I've been an everyday public transit commuter again for almost 4 months, and a frequent public transit commuter for all 27 years of my life. Yet, since moving to Philadelphia 2 years ago tomorrow, I have made some incredibly stupid decisions in riding SEPTA. This week, I was full up on stupid pills. And I blame it completely on not buying a Weekly Transpass.

Usually, every Sunday, I go to SuperFresh to buy a SEPTA Weekly Transpass. For $18.75 per week, I get unlimited bus and subway rides within the city and the first suburban zone. It also gives you credit for one zone on the regional (commuter) rail lines. And it's simple to use...you just keep the transpass in your wallet or purse...no need to lug around a pocket full of tokens and change. However, this past week, I had scheduled Tuesday off for job interviews. Because I would only be commuting 4 days this week, it would be cheaper to buy tokens and use change for transfers instead of buying a pass ($15.60 vs. $18.75).

So, Monday morning, I headed to the bus stop to begin my day. Then it dawned on me...I forgot my tokens and change. So, I wound up spending $4 ($2 base fare on both the bus and the El) to get to work. Of course, now that I think about it, I could have only spent $3 and told the SEPTA driver to keep the extra 40 cents ($2 base plus 60¢ for a transfer). See what I mean?! Oh, did I mention that I did the same damned thing yesterday morning?

Now, it's Friday afternoon. Every Friday afternoon, Sycamore treats himself to a ride home on the R7 commuter line. It costs a little extra, but the regional rail is heaven compared to the El.

So, I stroll over to the ticket machine at Market East Station...shit! No transpass...I'll have to pay for a 3 zone ride instead of 2. (Fares on regional rail trips are determined by which zone you start at and which zone you're traveling to. Center City is the starting point of the train, and Torresdale station is in zone 3, which translates to a $4.50 ride. With the transpass, it would only be $2.50.

I go downstairs to the train platform and wait for the train to arrive. The R7 is running a few minutes late, but is now scheduled to come in before the R5 going to Thorndale. A train pulls up...no announcement is made as to which train it is, and there is no marking on the outside of it. I see the R7 pulled off the incoming train board, so I naturally assume it's the R7. As I sit down on the train and it starts to roll, the announcer comes on:

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen...this is the R5 express to Bryn Mawr, local to Thorndale..."

Oh, shit! Thank goodness the train makes stops at Suburban Station and 30th Street Station (both in Center City) before heading out to the suburbs. I quickly hop off at Suburban Station and wait for the R7, which is just behind the R5.

The train ride was wonderful and uneventful. We pull into Torresdale station, and lo and behold! There's the 84 bus, waiting to pick people up from the train. (To get home from Torresdale requires a 5-minute ride on the 84, which will take me up and down the hills that compose Morrell Avenue.)

As I walk over to the bus, I fumble around for $2, b/c again, no transpass to use. To my dismay, I only have $1.

Fuck. And to add to this, I don't have the cell phone with me today. So, I figure I'm just gonna walk home from Torresdale...about 2 miles or so. No big deal...I like to walk.

Two problems though: One, I have a mild heel injury that is making walking a pain. Two, Morrell Ave. has a medium decline followed by a curved mammoth incline that runs about 3 or so blocks.

I made it as far as Frankford and Morrell...about halfway home. I saw a pay phone at the Sunoco station, saw that it only required 35¢, found 35¢ in my pocket, called Rho, and asked her to pick me up.

The moral of today's story: Don't be a fucking cheapskate...just buy the damned Transpass.

juju · 09-28-2002, 02:19 PM

Man, traveling in the big city sounds like a huge pain in the ass. Perhaps I won't like it after all? I quite enjoy being able to get to work within ten minutes of leaving my house.

elSicomoro · 09-28-2002, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by juju
Man, traveling in the big city sounds like a huge pain in the ass. Perhaps I won't like it after all? I quite enjoy being able to get to work within ten minutes of leaving my house.

Two things here, juju:

--This is me we're talking about here. This was just some stupid shit that I did this past week. I wound up making it difficult on my own, with no help from anyone else whatsoever.

--Now, let's talk about commuting...

In a big city, it can be a fact of life...especially in the northeastern US. For example, let's look at NYC. You have workers that not only live in NYC, but people come from the outer reaches of Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, even eastern PA. (IIRC, Yardley, which is a suburb about 10-15 minutes or so from my place, lost 5 or 6 people in the WTC attacks. They worked up there.) Some people commute to NYC from places like Allentown, PA every day. Yardley and Allentown are about 70 miles from NYC...Allentown may be even further.

It happens here too. People commute from places in Delaware, South Jersey, and further out in PA. One of my former co-workers at The Signal commuted from Reading every day--about 60 miles. When I lived in DC, one of my co-workers lived in Harpers Ferry, WV...55 miles from our office.

Hearing stuff like this boggled my mind at first. One of my old bosses in St. Louis used to commute from Ste. Genevieve, MO every day--about 60 miles. I thought she was nuts. Now I hear about stuff like that so frequently out here that it's no big deal. Even I have considered working up in Manhattan.

Now, you could get incredibly lucky. Rho used to work less than 10 minutes from our apartment. My first ever temp assignment was about 15 minutes from here. It's still very possible to live close to where you work.

So, there are three primary factors in the mix here: Where do you want to live, what can you afford, and where are the jobs? These are the issues Rho and I will be debating now, as we intend to make this the last year here at our current place. When we first moved here, living in the far NE was perfect for us. Now, it's far from it in terms of question #3. Now, whether we're staying in Philadelphia or not, that's another story. If we stay, we'll almost certainly move out to the suburbs.

Of course, if we had a better car, or 2 cars, commuting wouldn't be such an issue, but dem's the breaks for now.

Once you figure out a routine, be it by car or public transit, it's not so bad. You learn shortcuts, alternative routes, best and worst times to travel. Traffic reports become your best friend. You get used to it.

elSicomoro · 09-28-2002, 04:49 PM

Actually, this whole thing reminded me of a couple of other public transit gaffes committed by the Sycamores.

Story 1: Rho didn't start using public transit until we moved to Philadelphia. But since her job was in University City (read: no free parking), she started taking the R7 to and from work. One night, I'm chilling at home, and I get a phone call.

Rho: "It's me...I'm lost."

Syc: "What?"

Rho: "I think I got on the wrong train."

Syc: "Why? Where are you?"

Rho: "I don't know. I thought I was on the R7, then I find out I'm on the R8, and the conductor told me to get off and take the next train back to 30th St. But I don't know when it's going to come." *sounds upset*

Syc: "Okay, what station are you at?"

Rho: "I don't know!!!" *sounds mad*

Syc: "Rhoda, there should be a sign somewhere around that station that says where you're at."

Rho: "Oh, wait a minute...I think I see one...Queen Lane."

Queen Lane is on the R8 Chestnut Hill West line. It is located in the East Falls section of the city (northwestern Phila)...on the other side of town from where we live (about 15 miles away). So, I drove down to pick her up.

I really felt bad for her that night. I mean, it's simple enough to make the mistake...so many trains run through 30th Street that you could easily step on the wrong one if you're not watching carefully.

elSicomoro · 09-28-2002, 05:13 PM

Story 2: Hubris may get a kick out of this.

I had just moved to DC, and was living in Arlington, VA at the time; Rho was still at home in Baltimore.

One day, she had a baby shower to attend, so I told her I would take the train up to Baltimore, and she could pick me up at Penn Station later that afternoon.

Well, I decided to head up to Baltimore early, and thought it would be fun to just walk around and see the place.

So, I walked from Penn Station south on Charles St. towards Baltimore Harbor. I then saw an entrance to Baltimore's Metro Subway, which is only one line that runs from Baltimore Harbor to Owings Mills. I thought, "Hey, it'll be fun to take the subway." So, I got on...

After hitting a few stops, for some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to get off at the Pennsylvania-North station. At the time, I was thinking that I was back near the train station.

As I walked up the steps and on to the street, oh how wrong I was!

Penn-North is in the NW section of the city...and from what I saw, it is an incredibly bad area. All I remember is seeing a bunch of rough looking people and dilapidated buildings and thinking, "Oh shit!"

So, rather than get right back downstairs and take the subway back to the Harbor, I decided to WALK along North Ave. towards Charles St...I must have walked a mile or so. Finally, I came across one of MTA's light rail lines. I hopped on, rode back towards the Harbor, and made my way back to Penn Station, with about a half-hour to spare before Rho came to pick me up.

Apparently, I like making my life interesting.

elSicomoro · 10-03-2002, 09:03 PM

I didn't screw up this week...I got the Transpass.

Cam · 10-03-2002, 09:12 PM

Dang and I thought driving 15 miles on deserted roads every day was bad. I have a new respect for city commuters, if I realized that many of them commuted that many miles I would have had more sympathy in the past.

Hubris Boy · 10-04-2002, 01:04 AM

You walked all the way back to Penn Station via North Avenue?!?

Why?

Did you want the exercise? Or did you feel that your life would somehow be fuller and more satisfying if you spent an afternoon shuffling past legions of unwashed junkies and crack whores?

Bad Sycamore! Bad! Don't do that again!

If Rho's not around to rescue yer sorry ass, you can call me. I'm in the book. I'll come get you. Of course, you'll have to listen to me taunting and laughing at you all the way back to Penn Station but, hey... it beats ending up as a chalk outline on the sidewalk!

elSicomoro · 10-04-2002, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hubris Boy
You walked all the way back to Penn Station via North Avenue?!?

Well, down to the light rail stop near the JFX. I took the light rail down to Mt. Royal, then walked back to Penn Station.

Quote:

Bad Sycamore! Bad! Don't do that again!

Take into account that that was only like the 3rd time I had ever been in Baltimore. Of course, there was also the time that Putt-putt almost got smashed up by a light rail train along Howard St...but that's another story.

MaggieL · 10-06-2002, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hubris Boy

If Rho's not around to rescue yer sorry ass, you can call me. I'm in the book. I'll come get you.

Come to think of it, I'm often available for emergency rescues too. It occurs to me you may not have *piles* of people you can call on for local emergency transport support, especially since your co-workers probably are SEPTA riders too. I'm in the (Norristown) book also...but I'll PM the number here to you since my last name isn't in my Cellar profile. So now you've got some coverage based on the west side of town.

And if you're in a bad neighborhood, an armed escort can be a real advantage. :-)

elSicomoro · 10-06-2002, 08:38 PM

Maggie: Thanks...appreciate it.

I'm going without a pass again this week. I'm supposed to start a new assignment any day now out in Horsham, plus I'm taking Friday off. I'll be driving to Horsham, so it really wouldn't make sense for me to buy a pass and only use it for a few days. Now, I just have to make sure I keep my tokens and change right next to my wallet.

elSicomoro · 10-13-2002, 12:46 AM

I did great this past week...remembered my tokens and change every day.

This coming week, I might step up to the big leagues and buy a Zone 3 Trailpass...whoohoo!

HB, ummm...you do realize that there are 4 people with your last name and first initial listed in the Baltimore area (on Verizon's Super Pages), right? Only one of the 4 matched your first and last name...would that happen to be you? I mean, what if I get caught at...say, Caton and Baltimore Aves...what am I supposed to do? Keep calling various people until I find you?

09-28-2002, 01:49 PM	#1
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	SC: Respect the Transpass (Transit Roulette part 2) I've been an everyday public transit commuter again for almost 4 months, and a frequent public transit commuter for all 27 years of my life. Yet, since moving to Philadelphia 2 years ago tomorrow, I have made some incredibly stupid decisions in riding SEPTA. This week, I was full up on stupid pills. And I blame it completely on not buying a Weekly Transpass. Usually, every Sunday, I go to SuperFresh to buy a SEPTA Weekly Transpass. For $18.75 per week, I get unlimited bus and subway rides within the city and the first suburban zone. It also gives you credit for one zone on the regional (commuter) rail lines. And it's simple to use...you just keep the transpass in your wallet or purse...no need to lug around a pocket full of tokens and change. However, this past week, I had scheduled Tuesday off for job interviews. Because I would only be commuting 4 days this week, it would be cheaper to buy tokens and use change for transfers instead of buying a pass ($15.60 vs. $18.75). So, Monday morning, I headed to the bus stop to begin my day. Then it dawned on me...I forgot my tokens and change. So, I wound up spending $4 ($2 base fare on both the bus and the El) to get to work. Of course, now that I think about it, I could have only spent $3 and told the SEPTA driver to keep the extra 40 cents ($2 base plus 60¢ for a transfer). See what I mean?! Oh, did I mention that I did the same damned thing yesterday morning? Now, it's Friday afternoon. Every Friday afternoon, Sycamore treats himself to a ride home on the R7 commuter line. It costs a little extra, but the regional rail is heaven compared to the El. So, I stroll over to the ticket machine at Market East Station...shit! No transpass...I'll have to pay for a 3 zone ride instead of 2. (Fares on regional rail trips are determined by which zone you start at and which zone you're traveling to. Center City is the starting point of the train, and Torresdale station is in zone 3, which translates to a $4.50 ride. With the transpass, it would only be $2.50. I go downstairs to the train platform and wait for the train to arrive. The R7 is running a few minutes late, but is now scheduled to come in before the R5 going to Thorndale. A train pulls up...no announcement is made as to which train it is, and there is no marking on the outside of it. I see the R7 pulled off the incoming train board, so I naturally assume it's the R7. As I sit down on the train and it starts to roll, the announcer comes on: "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen...this is the R5 express to Bryn Mawr, local to Thorndale..." Oh, shit! Thank goodness the train makes stops at Suburban Station and 30th Street Station (both in Center City) before heading out to the suburbs. I quickly hop off at Suburban Station and wait for the R7, which is just behind the R5. The train ride was wonderful and uneventful. We pull into Torresdale station, and lo and behold! There's the 84 bus, waiting to pick people up from the train. (To get home from Torresdale requires a 5-minute ride on the 84, which will take me up and down the hills that compose Morrell Avenue.) As I walk over to the bus, I fumble around for $2, b/c again, no transpass to use. To my dismay, I only have $1. Fuck. And to add to this, I don't have the cell phone with me today. So, I figure I'm just gonna walk home from Torresdale...about 2 miles or so. No big deal...I like to walk. Two problems though: One, I have a mild heel injury that is making walking a pain. Two, Morrell Ave. has a medium decline followed by a curved mammoth incline that runs about 3 or so blocks. I made it as far as Frankford and Morrell...about halfway home. I saw a pay phone at the Sunoco station, saw that it only required 35¢, found 35¢ in my pocket, called Rho, and asked her to pick me up. The moral of today's story: Don't be a fucking cheapskate...just buy the damned Transpass.

09-28-2002, 04:49 PM	#4
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Actually, this whole thing reminded me of a couple of other public transit gaffes committed by the Sycamores. Story 1: Rho didn't start using public transit until we moved to Philadelphia. But since her job was in University City (read: no free parking), she started taking the R7 to and from work. One night, I'm chilling at home, and I get a phone call. Rho: "It's me...I'm lost." Syc: "What?" Rho: "I think I got on the wrong train." Syc: "Why? Where are you?" Rho: "I don't know. I thought I was on the R7, then I find out I'm on the R8, and the conductor told me to get off and take the next train back to 30th St. But I don't know when it's going to come." sounds upset Syc: "Okay, what station are you at?" Rho: "I don't know!!!" sounds mad Syc: "Rhoda, there should be a sign somewhere around that station that says where you're at." Rho: "Oh, wait a minute...I think I see one...Queen Lane." Queen Lane is on the R8 Chestnut Hill West line. It is located in the East Falls section of the city (northwestern Phila)...on the other side of town from where we live (about 15 miles away). So, I drove down to pick her up. I really felt bad for her that night. I mean, it's simple enough to make the mistake...so many trains run through 30th Street that you could easily step on the wrong one if you're not watching carefully. Last edited by elSicomoro; 09-28-2002 at 04:55 PM.

10-03-2002, 09:03 PM	#6
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	I didn't screw up this week...I got the Transpass. Attached Images

10-03-2002, 09:12 PM	#7
Cam dripping with ignorance Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Grand Forks ND Posts: 642	Dang and I thought driving 15 miles on deserted roads every day was bad. I have a new respect for city commuters, if I realized that many of them commuted that many miles I would have had more sympathy in the past. __________________ After the seventh beer I generally try and stay away from the keyboard, I apologize for what happens when I fail.

09-28-2002, 02:19 PM	#2
juju no one of consequence Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,839	Man, traveling in the big city sounds like a huge pain in the ass. Perhaps I won't like it after all? I quite enjoy being able to get to work within ten minutes of leaving my house.

09-28-2002, 05:13 PM	#5
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Story 2: Hubris may get a kick out of this. I had just moved to DC, and was living in Arlington, VA at the time; Rho was still at home in Baltimore. One day, she had a baby shower to attend, so I told her I would take the train up to Baltimore, and she could pick me up at Penn Station later that afternoon. Well, I decided to head up to Baltimore early, and thought it would be fun to just walk around and see the place. So, I walked from Penn Station south on Charles St. towards Baltimore Harbor. I then saw an entrance to Baltimore's Metro Subway, which is only one line that runs from Baltimore Harbor to Owings Mills. I thought, "Hey, it'll be fun to take the subway." So, I got on... After hitting a few stops, for some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to get off at the Pennsylvania-North station. At the time, I was thinking that I was back near the train station. As I walked up the steps and on to the street, oh how wrong I was! Penn-North is in the NW section of the city...and from what I saw, it is an incredibly bad area. All I remember is seeing a bunch of rough looking people and dilapidated buildings and thinking, "Oh shit!" So, rather than get right back downstairs and take the subway back to the Harbor, I decided to WALK along North Ave. towards Charles St...I must have walked a mile or so. Finally, I came across one of MTA's light rail lines. I hopped on, rode back towards the Harbor, and made my way back to Penn Station, with about a half-hour to spare before Rho came to pick me up. Apparently, I like making my life interesting.

10-04-2002, 01:04 AM	#8
Hubris Boy Keymaster of Gozer Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Patapsco Drainage Basin Posts: 471	You walked all the way back to Penn Station via North Avenue?!? Why? Did you want the exercise? Or did you feel that your life would somehow be fuller and more satisfying if you spent an afternoon shuffling past legions of unwashed junkies and crack whores? Bad Sycamore! Bad! Don't do that again! If Rho's not around to rescue yer sorry ass, you can call me. I'm in the book. I'll come get you. Of course, you'll have to listen to me taunting and laughing at you all the way back to Penn Station but, hey... it beats ending up as a chalk outline on the sidewalk!

10-06-2002, 08:38 PM	#11
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Maggie: Thanks...appreciate it. I'm going without a pass again this week. I'm supposed to start a new assignment any day now out in Horsham, plus I'm taking Friday off. I'll be driving to Horsham, so it really wouldn't make sense for me to buy a pass and only use it for a few days. Now, I just have to make sure I keep my tokens and change right next to my wallet.

10-13-2002, 12:46 AM	#12
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	I did great this past week...remembered my tokens and change every day. This coming week, I might step up to the big leagues and buy a Zone 3 Trailpass...whoohoo! HB, ummm...you do realize that there are 4 people with your last name and first initial listed in the Baltimore area (on Verizon's Super Pages), right? Only one of the 4 matched your first and last name...would that happen to be you? I mean, what if I get caught at...say, Caton and Baltimore Aves...what am I supposed to do? Keep calling various people until I find you?

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