This post comes from Lauren A. Williams, a Cal State Long Beach senior who also works here at The Times. She is a newcomer to mass transit, and on the day that Los Angeles commuter rail ridership sets an all-time record, she tells us what she sees during a typical ride:
"Every time I take the Blue Line from where I live in Long Beach, I try to sit at a window seat on the east side of the car. From there, the ride is a bit more scenic. The east side is closest to Watts Towers and I get a good view of what remains of the L.A. River.
"It's 11 in the morning -- long past the morning rush hour -- but still the Blue Line is filling up quickly where I board at Anaheim Street station, one of the first stops as the train heads north. Although it’s only the second month I’ve been riding the Metro, I feel like an expert, having run the gamut of possible ways to get to work without driving my car. When I lived in the South Bay, I was taking the Green Line to the Blue Line to the Red, but since moving recently I only have to take the Blue and the Red to a stop in Los Angeles only two blocks from work.
"The crowd on each line differs. Generally, men and women clad in business suits ride the Red Line heading downtown. Tourists and travelers with suitcases are a common sight on the Red and Purple Lines, both of which end at Union Station. The Blue and Green Lines, meanwhile, often have napping transients in tattered clothes, large families and people heading to work in blue-collar uniforms.
"For me, these are the people who make riding the Metro enjoyable. Part of why I take the rail is the chance to people-watch and pass through parts of Los Angeles I wouldn't see from a freeway.
"Missing today were the pleasant regulars. There’s the man selling candy that he buys in bulk, wearing two price tags in the crease of his glasses. Absent, too, was the blind man who taps his cane, carefully holding on to the railing and asking (impressively in both English and Spanish) for spare change.
"Passing a Shell station at Central and Washington, I remember the other reason why I take the train. The sign reads $4.89 for regular unleaded gas. Filling the beat-up old Benz that I've left parked at home costs about $90. Even though it takes me an extra 45 minutes to get to work, the extra time is worth the savings. If I drove, it would cost me about $40 a day, I figure.
"Right now, my car sits along the sidewalk outside my apartment. Now that I think of it, a ticket is probably on the windshield because it's street-sweeping day. I can't afford to drive it and I can't afford to park it.
"Anyone in the market for an eight mile-per-gallon car?"
--Bill Nottingham
Photos: Luis Sinco and Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times
