I tried taking the train to work this morning.  Cindy Lee showed me how.  I catch the Red Line at the Pershing Square Station, two blocks from my apartment downtown.  (It’s called the B Line, now, actually).  I ride the train to Universal City.  Then I walk upstairs and wait for the number 240 bus.  I ride the bus for 13 stops up Ventura Blvd. and get off at Laurelgrove.  Then it’s a 10 minute walk, crossing a bridge over the LA River, then three long blocks through a pleasant residential neighborhood.

The train is easy and comfortable.  People are interesting.  I feel safe.  The walk is nice and good exercise.  The whole trip takes a smidge over an hour.  That compares to about a 35 minute drive on weekday mid-mornings.  But it can take me about an hour to drive home in the evenings when I’m driving at rush hour.  So the little bit of extra time is a trade off, but I don’t have to pay attention to the road, I don’t have to pay for gas or maintenance on the car, and I’m not contributing any green house gases to the atmosphere.

I’ll still drive somedays, when I have a need for the car during the day.  And you’ll still see my car on Sundays because Sunday morning the drive is only 20 minutes with no traffic.  But it’s nice to have a green option.