Adventures in Transit

I needed to be in Dallas today for a workshop. I have a car but for various reasons chose to take transit to get there instead. I checked the route last night and knew what time I needed to be at the train station to make it there on time.

This morning I walked down to the DCTA Downtown Denton Transit Center, jazzed about the upcoming trip. Yes, I like riding the train. I hate driving in traffic. As I walked to the ticket booth a DCTA employee informed me that the DART Green Line wasn't running from Trinity Mills to Bachmann, but that buses would be available to shuttle riders in between. I was already there and just rolled with it; while on the train I emailed the event organizers and told them I'd be late.

I read my book and generally enjoyed my trip in to Dallas. Along the way I learned that in the early morning storm lightning had hit one of the rails, effectively disarming it. I hoped it would be fixed by the time I was heading home.

It was not. Which I didn't realize until I was standing at the train station downtown. But I rolled with it again, since my morning trip was only delayed about 25 minutes.

However, evening traffic was heavier, and buses don't maneuver well. The whole operation also seemed less organized than it was in the morning. And at the end of the day your more anxious to get home than you are to get to work. And it was hot.

I'm also not super familiar with the DART system. I don't go to Dallas very often so I haven't needed to get intimately acquainted with the routes and stops and names like I did with UTA and MTA. This, unfortunately, caused me to get off one stop past where I needed. I then had to go back to the previous station so I could catch the train to Denton.

Three hours from leaving downtown Dallas I walked into my apartment. It was long and tiring, and I definitely started getting cranky at the end. I had to remind myself that these people were working hard and it wasn't their fault that lightning had struck and caused chaos, so don't get mad at them. Everyone really was pleasant and helpful, especially when I nearly broke into tears when I realized my error (see, traffic makes me cranky AND emotional).

I still love transit so much. I definitely love that I live so close to work and can walk there easily. I can't imagine having to deal with traffic every day. But a part of me misses a commute on the bus or train. It's where I did most of my reading.