Streetcar named quagmire

I had to go to Pioneer Square today. Really, I should have gone sometime after the 22nd of January to pick up my February transit pass. I buy it online through my work, which affords me a generous discount - like 50% off each monthly pass. Basically, the pass is paid for by the time I make 9 round trips. I can generally accomplish that by the 12th of each month, give or take a few days. The train is on your honor, and I can ride the streetcar for free with my work badge, so really, I technically could save $45 per month and not get a pass (as long as I never rode a bus). But I'm an honest citizen, and I'll happily pay $45 per month toward my commute. It's much better than the $120+ I used to pay for gas.

So today, I decided I couldn't put it off any longer, and I went downtown to get my pass. I've done it on my lunch break before, and it generally takes about an hour. It's a 1.5 mile streetcar ride followed by a short 4 or 5 block walk. The streetcar back to work is 1 block closer to the trimet office, so the way back is usually quicker. Except today.

I was about 2 blocks from the stop when I saw the streetcar roll by. It wasn't a huge deal, as the streetcars run fairly often. When I got to the stop, the sign said there'd be an 8 minute wait. I've run into this before, so I decided to walk to the next stop and see what the wait was, then. 8 minutes. Ok...next one: 8 minutes. Surely, I'm not walking at the same pace as the streetcar? Next stop: 7 minutes. 7 minutes, 6 minutes, 6 minutes, 6 minutes, 6 minutes, 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes...by this time, it was a little game. I'd look over my shoulder to see if the streetcar was bearing down on me. It wasn't. I found myself at the 18th and Northrup stop. The next stop was 22nd and Northrup, and my office is at 20th and Northrup. It was still 1 minute until the trolley would arrive. Rather than wait to ride, and then walk 2 blocks BACK to my office, I decided to walk 2 blocks forward to my office.

I saw the streetcar out of the corner of my eye as I was unlocking the stairwell door. It never did catch up with me. It was a beautiful walk, too, through the Pearl District, and another uplift section of downtown. Next time, I'll take the shorter way back to work, rather than follow the streetcar rails. It might even save me a minute or two.