[Otter]

My most interesting commutes are when I have to drop my truck off for maintenance overnight and take the bus.

The morning starts off an hour and a half earlier than normal at which time I throw my usual business casual into a backpack and strap on sneakers and a running suit and begin the 2.5 mile trek to the closest bus stop in the city. I can't ride my bike because there's no where to safe to store it for the day and it's a fairly high end mountain bike that I really don't want to get stolen. I have to cross rail road tracks where surprisingly often my schedule and trains collide. It was blocking my pathway at a standstill one day for so long I climbed up in the car and jumped down on the other side so I wouldn't be late. The reactions among the drivers waiting varied from envy to outrage.

Then I cross a really, really long bridge which luckily there's a very safe & secure walkway from traffic integrated the design where I listed to music and enjoy the view of the river and occasionally look down to see if I get lucky and see any fish. Once on the other side I hit the city where I'll stop for a cup of coffee and wait for the bus. The array of people a bus stop attracts is quiet amazing; from the homeless, to hipsters, college kids and regular boring business people like me. It's actually really fun to observe.

Bus comes, takes me to work while I listen to music, maybe chat it up and continue to people watch. The ride is quiet relaxing actually.

At the end of the work day when you just want to go home is when public transportation truly begins to suck. "Just Get Me Home!!!". But the fun part is that you get dropped off downtown and get to peek inside the pubs where I almost always see a friend, consultant I worked with in the past or former associate in some manner and stop in to have a beer at which point my chances of working out for the day are shot. Usually stay way too long catching up and playing 'remember when' and wind up taking a taxi across the very long bridge to my front door. I actually met the small business owner I do wireless networking on the side for using this pit stop.

The 99.9% of the time I do have my vehicle it's an uneventful 12 minute drive over a bypass and down a highway to an industrial park. Despite my best efforts I can't find a way to make it there with my bike without a very good chance of becoming crow chum via a tractor trailer.