Waiting for transit
Friday, 22 February 2008 23:38 — monadoAfter my 7:00 a.m. swim class, I dropped off the car to get a snow tire replaced. Then I set off to take public transit about 5 km home. For about 19 minutes, I waited for a northbound bus. I didn’t see one, nor even a southbound one. (I was near the south end of the route.) It was snowing and rather pretty but my toes were getting damp.
So I walked down to the major east-west route. I chose east, the direction I was going, rather than west to the faster subway system to go north and then back east. Two westbound streetcars passed. My toes were freezing. Then an eastbound streetcar arrived, but it would turn north too soon. Finally, there was one that would take me to the east-west subway line nearer my home. I climbed in and paid my fare.
We ground slowly east and even more slowly up the gentle slope north. I think the streetcar was slipping on the snow. Finally we got to the subway. There was a new, granite staircase directly from the bus platform into the station. Down I went and soon I caught an eastbound train.
Once out of the subway, I waited at the station for a northbound bus. I was in an enclosed but unheated waiting area. Somehow, two silly pigeons had gotten in and they were eating pastry crumbs that an old woman crumbled for them. I wonder if anyone will let them out? It will probably take two people, one to shoo them and one to hold open a door. A bus came fairly promptly and I rode the last couple of stops.
It took me almost an hour (52 minutes) to get the three miles. It’s a hour’s walk. I could have saved my mony and kept my toes warm while getting in the recommended daily 10,000 steps for today. And now you know why, so often, TTC stands for “Take the car!”
