NOTES FROM THE COMMUTER TRAIN
1. The front of the train is bumpy, loud, and mostly uncomfortable whereas the back is nice and quiet, swaying gently from side to side like an old 70's Buick. I don't know why people prefer the front of the train except maybe they are too lazy to walk down the platform.
2. The train does not live by any schedule including the one published by the line. You would be kidding yourself if you think otherwise.
3. People who ride the train actually talk to one another. I've only witnessed this, not participated. (see INTROVERTSTER)
4. Using a trackpad on a laptop sucks, especially in the back of a 1970's Buick.
5. More people get on and off at Fullerton than any other station along the line with exception of Union Station where everyone has to get off.
6. Ticket machines pay out change in coin dollars. It's like winning the lottery until you have to put all of that damn change in your pocket. Only grandfathers are supposed to carry that much change.
7. Not only is there no beverage service on the train, you're not supposed to drink, eat, or smoke on the train. This according to the train nazi who wears something similar to Batman's utility belt.
8. My forth generation iPod is sucking some major wind right now. From one track to another (same album) the volume is all over the place. Either this is a new feature or this thing needs to go back to homebase for repair.
9. The train is nice but I think driving could be much faster. In the coming weeks I think race the train to Polychrome from the local station. For an advantage I'll borrow an ambulance and dress up as 'Him'.
10. Both Metrolink and Metroline use sounds from Windows XP and Microsoft Word, the Macintosh version as chimes.
11. They only check to see that you have paid for travel in the afternoons. In the morning its a free-for-all.
12. Los Angeles needs way more skyscrapers, being as it is downtown LA the lack of tall architecture leaves me wanting more.
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
The volume issue could just be the relative volume levels on each file.
Greg, try turning on "soundcheck" on both your mac and your ipod. That should normalize (to some extent) volumes between tracks. There's a program that supposedly does this more effectively, but I haven't used it.
And yeah, people are too lazy to walk (down the platform or anywhere else--remember you're in L.A., where people are only rumored to walk).
That's new to me. I didn't have this problem on my first generation iPod. Damn innovation.
The word "skyscrappers" is somewhat ambiguous. I suspect that you mean to type "sky's crappers."
Yikes! Driving in LA is faster than taking the train? And people wonder why public transportation gets a bad rep.
You are so cool with your "fourth generation" iPod, riding the train! Trains are so romantic! I will go write in my blog on blogger.com and distribute my zine while thinking of you now!
When I was in Los Angeles, I used to catch the train from Union Station for my daily commute to UC irvine. It was awesome! I too used, to sit in the back.
My only complaint was the speed, which due to the residential areas around the tracks was limited.
And what is up with Apple and its hardware problems?
The freakin post office's stamp machines give you change in those dollar coins as well. I got $13 worth of them last time. Lucky for me, a few days later the local minor league baseball team was having a $1 hotdog night.
I'll borrow an ambulance and dress up as 'Him'.
Do you mean the giant red transvestite baddie from The Power Puff Girls?
If you do, I so want a picture.
I need to learn how to take the Commuter Rail.
CM — no, I was referring to Him, otherwise known as Captain Chaos.
No, not Him! We don't need Him right now.
That does a boy good to see that reference. Thank you.
Did the train nazi have any superpowers? Or was he just a cool guy with a utility belt?
Like the last one but with more khaki.
Ah, drat!
I totally forgot about Captain Chaos. Cheers for the flashback!
The back of the train is always best for this reason: Have you ever seen a train wreck? Front cars mangled to bits, and the back cars still sitting peacefully on the track.
You would be surprised to know that those Windows XP chimes are also used here in India on most of the major rail terminuses.
Maybe it's the other way around...maybe the guy developing XP's sounds road a commuter train to work every day...
When I lived in LA I used to drive about 400 miles a week to my job. Now that I live in DC and use the subway my 3 year old car has only 10,000 miles on it. Ahhhhh.
You're lucky the machine gives you change in dollar coins. On the DC Metro we get change in NICKELS!!!
This is all new to me. I used to drive 10 miles to get to my former job and on most days this took all of eight minutes. "Communting" is new to me.
I commute into NYC often, and I've found it is a fun thing to create an ad hoc WiFi network and see who joins. I wound up playing Unreal Tournament with a guy about 20 seats away.
Playing UT on a laptop while sitting on a train is difficult, at best.
How is it that someone else on the train knew to look for a local network game or is that something NYC commuters just do?
I took the Surfliner home a few times from UCSB. I enjoyed it. The train takes longer to get to LA than driving, but it sure beats traffic. Plus, I always take my laptop so I can watch a movie. :)
> 7. Not only is there no beverage service on the train, you're not supposed to drink, eat, or smoke on the train.
This is so sad. Smoking, OK, but no drinking or eating on the train? That is such a time-honoured, traditional pleasure. Amtrak doesn't do that to you. Travelling by train across country is a rambling party. I think they make their money off the overpriced beer ($4 a can I think) and not the tickets (LA-Buffalo: $129).
No eating and drinking on the train? Man, I'd like to see them try to enforce that on the Long Island Rail Road. Eating and drinking on the train is practically a god-given right.