Monday, December 21, 2009

Come ride the Soul Train!


Sometimes MARTA decorates their trains, I assume for ad revenue. There's a Waffle House train, which is pretty cool, but I gotta say that my favorite one is the Soul Train, for the awards show in November.


Sunday, December 20, 2009

Transit shopping & Smittens Part One


I was supposed to go home to Virginia for the holidays but given the weather, my butt is still in the Atl.  In order to entertain myself during my new found free time, I decided on a transit adventure - shopping on MARTA!  So I took the bus from my new house for the second time ever to the station.  MARTA buses are so much better than CCT, no lie. Folks who complain about MARTA need to take a trip to Cobb.


I started my day by hopping on the train to Midtown and had brunch with Two and the AC at J Christopher's.  After brunch, the AC and I headed to the Highlands for a little shopping. Yea, yea, we drove in her car cause it's not transit friendly at all.  But we found the most awesome transit gear at a little craft show.  So I introduce to you Smittens!


Smittens are these really cool scarves that have pockets for your hands. Jen, the creater of the Smittens, said that she had toyed with naming them Bus Stop Buddies, and its the perfect description for them.  Now you have warm hands without fiddling for gloves. And, its a great place to stash your Breeze card.


You can pick up some Smittens at mushbabygifts.etsy.com and support local artisans and public transit! And, most importantly, stay warm!


Saturday, December 19, 2009

yet another reason to take MARTA

Because seeing a sign that reads "event route" on the GA 400 on ramp makes me want to take up smoking and learn how to play the drums like Meg White a la "Fell In Love With A Girl."

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

I really hate people like this


I mean seriously, you can't afford earphones for that psp? We don't want to hear your crappy song on repeat all the way from Kennsington to Five Points.  This also goes for those extra cool thugs who play that one snippet of a song on their cells to the whole train. Buy an ipod.

Monday, December 14, 2009

It was Kroger water, too

Later today (or sometime, let's be frank here) I will write a post about how my lovely room mate and I both ate MARTA floor this morning (and not together, mind you.  PS She's taking it way harder than me, I'm kinda like, o well.  She's kinda ticked.) but until then, have you heard of PeopleOfPublicTransit.com?  It's kinda like PeopleOfWalMart.com, but takes place on transit - imagine!  Anywho, the ATL is wonderfully represented:

At Least He's Honest

Which brings me to a story from last Thursday night on the train.  There was a dude, selling water.  I know, dudes sell stuff all the time, but he was the best darn salesman I've ever met.  I mean, if I owned a company that sold stuff, by golly, I would hire him.  I mean, that man could have talked me out of my last dollar for frozen bottled when it was 10 degrees outside (maybe I'm exaggerating on the temp, here, but I tell you what, I bought water just because he was SO good!).  Some of his awesome salesman tactics were:

"Buy my ice cold water, guaranteed to make you a billionaire!  And if it doesn't, then come back here and I will guarantee that you can buy another ice cold bottle of water!"

Thursday, December 10, 2009

I should be in control

I like transit, really, I do.  And last night, when I got off the train to go to a campaign kickoff for a Jason Carter in Decatur, it was really awesome to see one of my clients from the shelter getting on the train.  It was a moment where I could relate to her more, since she had been really upset when her car had been repossessed and she had to start riding MARTA, there's this solidarity, "I'm on the train with you, too." 

But then mornings like this morning happen, and I'm not MARTA's biggest fan.  The train, the 105 eastbound, to be exact, was having technical difficulties.  They couldn't shut the door.  Every stop, the doors would bang and then open again.  Which, besides being annoying, made us late.  So late that we missed two northbound trains out of Five Points.  So late that I missed the 10b.

I love the 10b.  It's my favorite thing about this commute.  The bus is nice, the folks are nicer, we're like a community.  You get to know one another because  we're a regular crowd, all the office people going to work in the mornings and home in the evenings. 

But besides that, if I miss the bus, I am hosed.  I have to catch the 10 to CTC and then wait 15 minutes for the 50 when it's cold has heck this morning (37 degrees, to be exact, yay smartphones) and then take that bus to Powers Ferry and walk to my office, where as the 10b drops me off at the door.  And none of the cars stopped to let me cross the road.  What happened to pedestrians having the right of way?

Someone should make me the mayor, or govenor, or queen or something so I can make these people mind!

O well.  To make us all smile, here's a couple of wierd transit news stories:


Lawn mowers no longer qualify for the HOV lanes

Somebody needs to tell those horse buggie fellas downtown not to stop off at Elliot Street before their shift!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Day Tripper

I desperately want to shut down my computer. I have been working on a take-home final since 8:00 and I'm ready to call it a day. But I just remembered that in the aching, tedious, I'm-not-wearing-matching-socks-because-I-can't-find-any haze of finals I learned an important MARTA lesson that I need to share. People: Don't buy day passes. Because they are only good for the number of days that you pay for. Yeah, I know that this probably makes sense to the majority of you. But for the other kids out there who got moved to the front row of Mrs. Baldwin's first grade math class for never grasping the pie analogy, this is for you. For us.

Despite my obvious deficit of reason, I am a graduate student. I ride the train to school and usually buy a student pass from the University for $37/month. But I only have to go down to campus 4 days this month and even I know that purchasing a student pass doesn't make financial sense again until January. So on the morning of December 1st I bought a 4-day pass. To me, this equaled 4 round-trips. You get up, you go somewhere, you go home, it's a round trip and you start over again tomorrow. Not in MARTAville. My pass, which I swear was something like $22 because they included a charge for the plastic card on which my money was loaded, expired on December 4. After I had used it twice. Because it expired after 4 CALENDAR days, not 4 round-trip sensical days of logic. Unless you are a tourist or a participant in a corporate-sponsored scavenger hunt with some guy named Doopey (this happened) don't buy a day card. Buy a trip card. Or better yet send me one since I'm out fourteen bucks.

If I miss the bus today

I'm gonna kill somebody.

Monday, December 7, 2009

CCT hate pt 3

Well that was hell - why does transit hate me?  My original estimates were way off, I made it to the shelter at 11:10,  that's a three hour and forty five minute commute.  That's because MARTA was single-tracking on the East line and so we got to hang out at King Memorial with the doors open when it's 40 degrees outside.  So I finally got to the shelter and got to use the bathroom.  Now it's 11:56 and my toes are nearly defrosted as I eat my dinner. 

I WILL be on transit tomorrow - CCT I won't let you defeat me.  Only crazy homeless dudes will deter me from my commuting adventures.

Special Thanks to the City of Austin

This is only slightly relevant to public transportation. But I thought that it was awesome and it made me smile on a day when it seemed that nothing could. This has probably already circled the circles of the people inside the Big Circle. My proclivity to tragic unhipness would almost guarantee it. If it wasn't so late I'd grab my copy of "The Dharma Bums" and cruise down to Aurora, just to say I tried.

I would like to add that my SUV has a back-up cam and I think that people who wear scarves and flip-flops together just look stupid.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/aus/1386329514.html

I fing hate CCT.

So its 9:07 and I'm on a 10 outbound to Arts Center. I had a teleconference this evening, so I was at the office late waiting for it. Turns out only one other person called in, the others scheduled couldn't make it. Then it was the damned bus incident. I haven't had dinner and my toes are freezing, these shoes weren't built for warmth. I could have waited 30 minutes for the next 50 to CTC and prayed I made it in time for the 10, but ran across the street at One's recommendation for the other 50. Then this 10 was late, and to think, I was afraid I was going to miss it. I've now been at this commute for one hour and fifty minutes, scheduled to arrive at MARTA at 10. Estimated arrival at the shelter, 10:45. That makes my commute three hours and twenty minutes. I am so writing a letter to CCT. A bus that runs hourly should not be early!

I hate CCT

the damned 50 outbound had to have run more than 10 minutes early because my butt left the office at 7:25 and made it out to the bus stop at 7:30 because I was so paranoid about missing the damned thing because it only runs once an hour this time of night. Assholes. At least I had One to call, who talked to the dispatcher and told me to run and get the 50 inbound. Now I'm just riding the bus up to Marietta, going the wrong way, but at least its warm & isn't me standing on the side of the road in a deserted office park. And I intend to be carless this week? FML!

Mondays on CCT

Mondays mornings are never good, and this one was no exception.  Laura was late to relieve me, so I was rushing to the train station.  I got there barely in time for my train, which was running a minute late.  Because it was running a minute late, I had to run to the north at Little Five.  Had I not and missed that train, no 10b for me!

The 10b is such a lovely bus, and much better than the 10.  They have nice luxury coaches for the 10b, with cushionie seats that recline, and the bus driver turns the lights off, and we're quite, and guess what?  We inevitably fall asleep.  So I dozed off this morning and woke up right before my stop.

But I forgot to press the stop requested button.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Hehehe MARTA


Saw this at the North Ave station, a little bit of transit humor.

Friday, December 4, 2009

This phone is a bad idea!

Cause now I can blog the whole trip! So I'm on the 50 now and while I was waiting for 20 minutes, four 10s came. They're only supposed to run every 15 minutes. Something doesn't add up. In other news, the bus driver is complaining that CCT won't let then takeoff their vacation time before.the end of the year, so that the loose it or have to sell it back.

O lord

I'm on a training bus! The driver doesn't know the route and there's s dude sitting up front directing him. He missed the HOV on ramp for 75 north.

TMAtl in real time!

I got one of those new Droid phones, I am so cool. And it has a Blogger app, which means I can now blog while on the train and post pictures of the craziness. I know, its a dream come true!

So it's 7:45 and I'm late, I hit the snooze button twice and so I missed my usual train. I'm screwed, no 10b for me this morning :(

MIA

I'm sorry I've been MIA, if y'all knew my life, you wouldn't hold it against me.  And the Accidental Commuter is finishing up finals, apparently that's more important than blogging - the nerve!  But I promise there will be shenanigans happening soon.  In the mean time, I haven't been on the train too much because of car needs (mainly, hauling crap back and forth - o joy!) so I'm without awesome stories.  Two and I carpooled for Thanksgiving, I made him pose with a wooden bear statue outside of a gas station in Hollywood Georgia, but then I realized that would reveal his identity, and he's real concerned over that.  Something about his job, can't be associated, blah blah blah.  So, y'all are spared of the evidence of my torture.  However, on the way back from Asheville, we drove past a railroad museum and Two didn't want to stop.  I did, but he said no.  Can you imagine?  What kind of world is it that Two won't go to the train museum with me?  One was in shock.

But he let me stop at a Christmas store, so all was forgiven.  I bought a train ornament.  What has become of me?

Tomorrow the train goes up at the office, and then I will post my pictures of the Polar Express.  Until then, I found another nutso who combines his love of art and transit:

Trash bags + train grates = art!