The Tourist and the Transit

     One of the things I’m committed to do in my travels to big cities is to make every effort to do away with the automobile as my primary form of transportation.   I’ll take taxis only when absolutely necessary, perhaps to and from the airport.   I also use the airport-to-hotel shuttles as much as possible, especially if they are “free” (but don’t forget the tip money.)   I also use the money I otherwise would have used on a car rental on something much more, uh, relevant: a nice/nicer dinner, tickets to a sporting event, concert, or play, or something else for the special someone else (who usually gets my motor running much more smoothly than any of those rental cars!).  

     I also take some time prior to takeoff, to learn about the local transit options.   I’ve become partial to light rail and subways.  I’ve found bus service (save for Honolulu where the BRT system “The Bus” resides) to be wanting, in all honesty.   The busses share the same roads as all other traffic, tend to be more cramped, and unless they have dedicated express lanes (such as in Hawaii’s BRT system),  they’re largely impractical.    This also applies, to an extent, to the touristy “hop on hop off” busses you see in all of the big tourist cities like San Francisco. There is an element of convenience of this kind of arrangement – get on and get off as you please, with the same bus coming back a short time later – but you’re still sharing the same roads as the commuters.  Plus, the tourist buses only have – guess it – TOURISTS on board.   You won’t find the local flavor, zeitgeist, or anything else on board these social bubbles-on-wheels.  

     But I’ve found several advantages to riding the rails, whether local, regional, or national, underground or overground:

1.     The systems I have ridden have, for the most part, performed very well in terms of on-time and station location factors;

2.     They’re comparatively cheaper than the tourist busses – and a whole lot cheaper than car rentals;

3.     Since most of the riders of these systems are the locals, you can get a sense of the local “flavor” and culture just by “hanging” with the riders, even if only for a short time;

4.     You don’t have to contend with ANY of the traffic issues so common in large cities.  

     My last few trips outside of the usually friendly confines of my hometown – to New York, Boston, and Portland, OR – have involved me taking this “transit only” approach.   I’ll get into more detail on this topic in future postings, especially as far as what my take is on the quality of the transit options in the places I visit. 

     I realize that car rentals are unavoidable in many parts of the country (and the world).   In those areas, I’ll bite hard and rent the cheapest wheels I can find, and use them only when necessary.   Transit and hoofing-it work best for someone who is in good health and is trying to watch his/her weight along with the people and the surroundings (as I am).  

Stay tuned.