I hate standing on CTA trains - I have suck a crappy sense of balance that I really got to hold onto something tight. Luckily, I have an opposite commute so I can usually find a seat. Metra trains are so much better than CTA trains in the jerking-to-a-stop department (as well as the room and smooth ride departments) that it's much less difficult to be standing.

Favoritest moment of my public transpo in SF: there was an obviouslt mentally disturbed and self-professed crack addict on the 30 Stockton screaming at people about manners. I loved the part where juliana said, "Fucking hippies."

I've seen the keychain bottles of Purell at Target, with all the travel and sample-size items.

I miss the subway. I love the subway in New York. Never really learned the busses, because even they seem to get caught in traffic sometimes. And it's much easier (for me) to disappear into a book with my headphones on underground.

In herds-of-clueless-people news, we were trying to get out of church Christmas Eve, and I almost had a meltdown. My dad was laughing, and said, "What, it reminds you of New York?" And I said, "Uh, no. In New York, everyone knows they have to KEEP MOVING!"

And it's much easier (for me) to disappear into a book with my headphones on underground.

I can't read on a CTA train without getting nauseous. Not a problem on Metra.

I'm still bitter that my last move and work's relocation makes Metra less convenient than before. I used to have a 25 minute commute from my apartment in Wicker Park (1700 block North) and downtown Evanston. Now it's usually an hour.

One of the few nice things about my lengthy Metro commute is that I'm almost guaranteed a seat. Of my choice, even, especially in the evenings.

I have a perverse love of NYC buses. They have certain very specific uses: crossing town above 57th Street, killing time in bad weather, etc. Now I like the bus to go from my office to the East Village. It may not actually save any time versus the subway, but it feels much more direct, since I'm not walking out of my way to get a train that doesn't really get me that close to where I'm going.

They're the sort of people that I want to give directions to with, "Get on the Capitol Beltway, and keep going until you reach the Capitol."

Also good: "If you miss your exit on the Beltway, just stay on; the exit will come around again."

Even commuting to Capitol East and/or Foggy Bottom in the height of tourist season wasn't as bad as going anywhere here. Today's event was me t-boning a shopping cart in the supermarket - I was coming down the cart escalator, and a woman had paused with her cart blocking the end. I had nowhere to go, and she wasn't listening to the yelling, being enraptured by the big TV ad.

Oh, and going into the parking garage for the store, a turn from a very busy street with no pull-out, I had to dodge a pedestrian who had randomly stopped in the middle of the driveway. It was close, as my car is almost too big for the driveway anyway.

It may not actually save any time versus the subway, but it feels much more direct, since I'm not walking out of my way to get a train that doesn't really get me that close to where I'm going.

I feel the same way about the B61 bus from my place to Williamsburg.

crossing town above 57th Street

Oh yes, this. I worked on Third (and 50th, but still), and a friend lives on Tenth, and I always took the crosstown to her place after work. Only way to go, really.

Today's event was me t-boning a shopping cart in the supermarket

She totally deserved it.

I loved the part where juliana said, "Fucking hippies."

Oy. Did I say that in response to that woman (I think it was a woman)? 'Cuz that sounds kind of... mean and not very nice of me. Oh - it was probably in response to her(?) rant on being a 3rd-gen. San Franciscan and how all the Chinese immigrants were ruining the City. Was that the woman? (I've heard the rant coming from more than a few deranged people on the 30 Stockton.)

(Though I've been known to grumble at the neo-hippies in the Haight.) (I'll shut up now.)