Train drain

As gas prices have gone up, I've noticed my regular trains have been filling up. It used to be that in the morning, as long as I made it onto my #1, #2, or #3 trains, I'd definitely have a seat, and if I made it onto #4, I would sometimes get a seat. Nowadays, I generally only make my #3 or #4 trains, but either way, there's never a seat, anymore. I've gotten quite good at reading while standing up on a moving train. It's like surfing, but when you fall, you generally land on people or the floor instead of water. I'm not going to complain about never getting a seat, anymore. Being able to read while saving $100 a month sure beats raging at other drivers on the commute. Yesterady, I had to ride my #5 train, since #4 never showed up.

#5 is usually less busy than #4, but with the influx of all the #4 train passengers, #5 was brimming with people. A kind gentleman had to ask someone in front of me to move in a little just so I'd fit in the door. The busiest stop on my commute is the Sunset transit center (1st stop on the way into work), and a huge (2 trains worth) group of people were waiting to board. One woman in particular was in a foul mood. She griped the whole way to my stop. "where did all of these people come from? Why was the train late? sheesh! there are so many people on here. Seriously? nobody's getting off at this stop? Sheesh, I hope no bikers try to get on." The stop she was referring to was the Oregon zoo/Children's museum/washington park stop, and I can tell you from months of experience riding this route that NOBODY gets off at that stop at 7:30 in the morning during the week. Ever. Her little tissy fit was punctuated with dirty looks to the people standing near her. She was standing in the designated bike area, with much more personal space than anyone else in our immediate vicinity.

The other riders were their normal jolly selves. There are usually several people who talk to each other, and everyone else kind of zones out in their own world for a minute. Yesterday, two gentlemen were discussing their love of fishing. They had just met, and by the time I got to my stop, one was offering the other his business card, so they could go fishing together sometime. The only negative energy on the train was emanating from her. I kind of wished a biker did hop on the train, just so I could push her out the door and tell her to wait for the next one. She did her best to ruin the ride for everyone else. If she seriously hates the train that much, there are several buses that would take her to where ever she was going. Or, better yet, she should have driven. Then she could rage by herself.

The ride home is always packed like that, unless I happen upon my #3 train, which is the red line from the airport. Even though it follows the same route as the blue all through downtown, people don't take it, for whatever reason. Maybe she's used to trains like that. Maybe she was having a bad morning. Either way, sometimes, silence is the best policy.