I am a creature of habit. I pretty much take the same route to and from work every day. My choice of television shows and music are rather repetitious. Even my menus are predictable. Yet, once in a while I get a yen to do something different— to be adventuresome. Although the spirit doesn’t strike me very often, last week I acted spontaneously and said yes to a big first. I rode on the Metro. Oh, this wasn’t just a joy ride. This was a voyage of purpose. Steve and I had tickets for Mamma Mia!‘s opening night at the Pantages. Planning on braving the L.A. traffic in our trusty Honda CRV, after each talking separately to friends about the Metro, we approached each other gingerly at the last minute with the idea of trying out the Blue Line (and it turns out the Red Line as well.) What a marvelous decision. The play was fabulous— it goes without saying— but adding the adrenaline rush of a new mode of transportation that dropped us off right in front of our destination gave this outing a rating of five stars in our book.
Kelly from our office suggested we arrive at the Metro station as early as possible. We had reserved seats for the 8pm performance, so we decided to try to catch the Blue Line at about 6:15pm. I’m so glad we took Kelly’s advice. Not having to worry about being late gave us a chance to really sit back and enjoy the experience— and that we did.
Not having any Metro experience, we bought our tickets one at a time at each line (Blue and Red) rather than buying day passes for $5 each. The dollar amount was the same, but we would have saved time with the passes. Live and learn.
Here are a few do’s and don’ts I learned along the way:
Do arrive early so you don’t feel rushed
Don’t give a guy a quarter to buy a ticket— you’ll never get rid of him.
Do ride facing forward— backwards feels weird.
Do hurry exiting the Metro— those doors close quickly and you’ll be left on board while your companion(s) is outside peering in— we saw it happen.
Don’t buy candy or Rubik’s Cubes from a guy walking through the train cars— you’ll never get rid of him.
Do take the time to chat with other riders. Steve and I met two men going home from culinary and film school classes— at midnight. Their dedication to education was refreshing and inspiring.
Do ride the Metro— and take a friend— it’s more fun that way.
Another first for Steve and me was attending a Passover Seder dinner last Thursday at the home of the Schlesinger/James family. What a learning experience. Never having partaken of such a celebration, we were both in awe. The food was wonderful and the company was stimulating. We truly feel honored to have been included in their family’s traditions. Thanks again, Rob and Kelly.
