Alright folks, this will be my second attempt at blogging. My first attempt was not very successful, I capped out at three posts. These entries are going to be a little different then the ones before. These entries are going to be entirely focused on my new experiment in life, riding public transportation to work. I will devote these, hopefully daily, entries to what I've seen/heard while on my way to and from work on the train and bus. For those of you who take public transportation regularly, you already know full well what kind of situations transpire, and they are fucking hilarious while also being slightly frightening. For those of you who have not, like me before the last week, you're in for a surprise.
Lets start at what lead to me making a decision to commit to what most would consider one of the most inconvenient, confusing, and stressful situations a person can put themselves through. As a UC employee, I, like many others, have been hit by this incredible wave of recession that the country, and even more so, the state of California has had to endure. Aided by the stupidity of California Legislators, California state funded institutions are left scrambling to figure out how they are going to pay their bills. The UC recently laid out a plan to make up their portion of the budget shortfall by cutting UC employees salaries by 8%. This cut, aided by my stupidity of recently buying a Lexus and jacking up the amount i commit to a car payment, has forced me to find ways to cut back on my spending. One of the areas i looked to cut was how often i fill up my tank with that liquid gold. I calculated that if i did not drive to work i could save $300 dollars a month in gas alone. Also, UCLA charges its staff to park on campus a grand total of $70 dollars a month for a parking pass. On the flip side, UCLA subsidizes a Go Metro pass for employees, which allows u to ride any metro bus or rail an unlimited amount of times for 3 months, for a grand total of 28 dollars a month. This is renewable every 3 months for as long as you are a staff member. So that brings me to about $340 dollars i save a month, not including the value of the precious miles i save on my new Lexus.
So, now for details on how i get to work. I was driving the crazy 405 freeway to and from work for the last several months. This calculates to 30 miles each way, meaning i drive 60 miles a day round trip to and from work, or 360 miles a week, or 1440 miles a month, or 17280 miles a year. That's just for work people, not counting what every other recreational driving i do. The average American drives 12000-15000 miles a year. I probably drive 25ooo miles a year, way too much. In avoiding this, i now have to take 3 different routes that the metro offers on my way to work. The Blue Line, the Purple line, and the Metro Rapid 720/920.
The Blue Line: This line is what connects the south with the Central of Los Angeles. It will take you from 1st in Long Beach (practically the ocean) to Central Los Angeles passing every ghetto known to man in between. I pick up this line on Willow and Long Beach blvd. The station is only 3 blocks from where i live and it offers free parking. The area surrounding this station is next to a park, a starbucks, a school. There might as well be girl scouts selling cookies on the street corner, this is a safe area. As soon as you board and proceed north, the whole notion of safe gets thrown out the window. The images you see out the window go from serene to chaotic. You see graffiti, gang members, homeless, USC fans, the overall deviants of society. The first general area we intersect is Compton. As a matter of fact we practically stop right in front of Compton court house. Now what kind of populous would you expect to see getting off/getting on the metro in front of Compton court house? I'll go ahead and leave that up to your imagination. Next we reach the lovely city of Watts. Did i mention at this point its probably smart to hide your iPod? We march on through Huntington Park, which i must say doesn't really get its share of allotted fear when it comes to city names that scare you. Believe me, this city does not disappoint if you're in the market for liquor stores and check cashing places being your immediate neighbors. We continue further in to south central and this is where you start to get the overwhelming amount of shitty SC sweaters and Nick Van Exel Laker jerseys. Finally you arrive at the main metro hub on Flower and 7th.
At this point it is required of me to run, AND I MEAN RUN, my ass downstairs to the lower level where i catch the Purple line. Now, the only bad part about this is that the Blue line ends at the metro hub, so EVERY FUCKING INDIVIDUAL is getting off at this stop and is full on sprinting to the one stair case and escalator in the area. I have gotten ran over by a old mexican abuelita who i swear called me a "pinche maricon" after she firmly planted her small size 4 shoe in my spine as she ran me over. These people are ruthless, you can not under any circumstances be overwhelmed or you will be hurt and on top of it all miss your next train.
Purple Line: This train is not very long and it pretty much saves me the hassle of having to go through Koreatown and being hasstled to buy a broken watch or shity plastic toy while on the bus. It takes me from the metro hub to Wilshire and Western. Again, this is where the Purple Line ends so you have a mass exit of people running to catch whatever bus that is getting ready to leave on the streets above. On the corner of Wilshire and Western is where i pick up the Metro Rapid 720/920 (the 920 is the same route just with less stops, thus slightly faster) going west. This is where i get conflicting feelings. The trains are surprisingly well maintained, so when they plow through the worst cities in the world, its a little weird. The 720 bus is the exact opposite. These buses are GHETTO. Most of them are 30 feet long accordion monsters that are hubs for disease. These buses drive down Wilshire Blvd going west, right through Rodeo Drive and on the way to Beverly Hills and then Santa Monica. How the buses and the people riding the buses stay so ghetto while commutting through one of the richest areas, i have no idea. Now, before you get to experience any of this bus ride you have to figure out a way to get on the bus. I want you to picture in your mind a sand timer. When you flip that sucker over, you have a pile of sand trying to rush through a small hole to the bottom of the timer all at once. This is what its like getting on the bus. There is no uniformity, everyone fucking bull rushes to the door whether you're 8 or 80. Most of the time I'm one of the unlucky ones that are left standing on the bus because i just cant bring myself to stampede a senior citizen. I say give me a month. While i may not be able to stampede an old lady that doesn't mean the ese vato next to me isn't. On day 1 i saw a foolio snake a seat from a grandma and had her stand for 10 miles until her next stop. That's cold, but i applaud his aloofness.
Ultimately, the bus drops me off at Wilshire and Westwood and i walk a couple blocks to work. The whole trip, from my front door to my desk takes me about 1.5 hours. While the reverse commute takes about 2 hours in the afternoon.
I invite you to join me as i document (with words and pictures) craziness i see/hear on this intense route(s). Hopefully it doesn't disappoint. I have a feeling it won't.
