Today again I took the 41E to the Junction and the 41B to Brookline Boulevard at West Liberty Avenue. I took the walk up the hill and made it to work on time. In the afternoon, I headed off to East LIberty taking the 41D to Downtown and then skipping over to the East Busway to grab the EBA. In the evening, I jumped on the 71A to Downtown, slid up the hill on the incline, and walked home. Overall, things went pretty smoothly.
Today’s tally:
Walked: 3 miles
Bussed: 6 trips
Carpooled: 0
Drove: 0
I was on time this morning, at least for my first bus. When I got to the Junction, I waited for a 41. When neither the D nor the G had come by 8:15am, I jumped on the 41B. This took me to Brookline Boulevard at West Liberty Avenue and I had to walk up the hill. This was nowhere near as difficult as last week’s experiment and I got to the office only a few minutes late.
One of the problems that I have encountered while relying heavily on walking as a mode of transportation is the condition (or lack) of sidewalks along my way. I feel that this problem should be corrected- that pedestrians should have access along all roads- and I suspect that I will be contacting 3-1-1 more often now that in the past.
The rest of the day involved carpooling and, my favorite activity, walking around Downtown.
Today’s tally:
Walked: 1.5 miles
Bussed: 1 trip
Carpooled: 5 trips
Drove: 0
Monday’s transit travels illustrate one of the challenges with the current route design of the Port Authority. After a work meeting at South Side Works, I had to go Downtown in order to get to Brookline. To review, I had to travel north, across the river, to get south of where I started. Between the timing of the busses and because the second bus was late, it took me almost two hours to make that trip. While patience is necessary when using transit, this amount of time devoted to such a short trip is irresponsible. What could I do?
Monday’s tally:
Walked: 1 mile
Bussed: 5 trips
Carpooled: 2 trips
Drove: 0
Sunday was about getting things done. I had been wanting to buy a new couch for over a year, since I moved into my house. Luckily, being a Zipcar member gives me access to a pick-up truck. So, I reserved the truck from 2pm to 6pm on Sunday.
I didn’t get out of the house on time (surprise) so I ended up picking up the truck Downtown at 3. Luckily, that didn’t really impeded my ability to get all my errands done. I bought the couch, loaded it up, dropped it off at my house and had the truck back to Downtown at 6 on the nose.
The evening included a little trip by my favorite form of transportation (feet) to an amazing neighborhood spot (Grandview) eating an unusual snack (graham cracker ice cream).
Sunday’s tally:
Walked: 4 miles
Bussed: 1 trip
Carpooled: 2 trips
Drove: 25 Zipcar miles
Saturday started early with a 9am work meeting in Beechview. The day took me from there to Downtown, East Liberty, Friendship, Shadyside, and eventually the South Side. I was mobile and did very little of it by car.
Saturday’s tally:
Walked: 3 miles
Bussed: 3 trips
Carpooled: 2 trips
Drove: 0
Filed under: Uncategorized
After a normal bus ride to work, followed by a normal work day, I took the bus downtown and walked over to the “North Shore” (actually, north bank) to kayak for the first time. Despite choppy waters, it was great fun. I recommend it for anyone. It’s not scary, difficult or expensive.
Friday’s tally:
Kayaked: 1.5 miles
Walked: 1 mile
Bussed: 2 trips
Carpooled: 2 trips
Drove: 0
