The First Morning
My day has started at a alarm beeping 5:25am. The band Down playing on my Windows Media Player in the background I leapt up to shower and deal with the necessities of the morning. I departed into the eerie morning streets at 5:47am, barely a rustle compared to the coming deluge of people. The city just slept, with a few sounds peeping from the vagrants and the coughing bum up the way.
I left the hotel and immediately started the zig zag through this old part of Seattle. As I walked through part of the park area I finally saw the bum that had been coughing. He sat upon a bench, almost in a proud way, looking out as if to dare someone to ask if something was wrong. I just walked by, he didn't even take a glance to view me.
In the distance one could hear the Sounder making way through the yard and industrial area just south of where I walked. As I turned onto my last block near the station I could hear and see the headlight piercing the darkness as the train pulled into the station. I arrived at 5:58am, walked up and around King Street Station to the steps that led down to the ticketing machines. Train #1500 (Not a misprint, it is for a few more minutes #1500) finally came to a stop. The deluge of a 1/2 full train poured up through the steps I was coming down. With some pushing and a standard firm step I walked through a few people on my way down, since they seemed incapable to watch where they where going.
I purchased my $9.50 day pass for getting to and from Tacoma. $9.50 seems like a ripping awesome subsidized price, and I wonder how efficiently the areas tax money has been spent. I boarded the train, now sitting stopped at the station, marked as #1501.
At exactly 6:10am we pulled away from the station. We rolled slowly through Seattle. At 6:15am we rolled past the City Light building where the busses are housed. A fare inspector at that time was coming through the train, politely asking, "tickets, tickets please".
At 6:26am we arrived at Tukwila and even met a north bound Sounder. Unlike train #1500 the north bound had every seat full, plus standing patrons. This I really liked seeing. Both trains opened their doors and closed them at almost the same time. The effect of an excessively fast departure was almost surreal as both trains blurred against each other.
Train #1501 finally got up some real speed. It seemed as though the train was moving well below the marked limit departing Seattle and all the way until Tukwila.
I started at 6:29am trying to see how well the wireless access would work. The #4xx, #3xx, and #1xx cars have wireless according to a "Sound Transit's Expanded Wi-Fi Project" Pamphlet I found on the train. With that information I did a quick search for signal. I found that there was a #401, #301, and #101 wireless signal available. $401 was the strongest so I selected it and connected. The signal was ok, but not good enough to connect via the VPN to do any relevant work. I made the decision then to just wait until the afternoon and see how that would work. Besides, it was early, I had breakfast on the mind, and didn't much feel like piddling about with code just yet. Maybe tomorrow or another time this week I'd go for some work effort in the morning.
We moved on from Kent Station and back into the placid darkness. The lights of the surrounding areas barely providing visibility beyond one or two streets away from the tracks. The almost silent hum of the flanged wheels could be heard as we bucked and jolted from some rough track spots. Of course compared to a bus these jolts where minor.
We approached Auburn and still there where no additional persons coming to the upper deck of the car I was on. The grand total of 5 persons, with one departing at the moment I took notice where on this car. As we pulled up I could easily see the blue of the sky steadily increasing, below along the north bound tracks, there where already queues forming for the next north bound train. Each queue had at least 6-12 people in each. That meant the next north bound train would also be packed with standing room only! We pulled away from Auburn, I calculated in my head the number of people standing and waiting for the train, the minimum number was 42, the safe estimate would be well above 90, and I'd put money on it that there where at least 100-110 people waiting for the train!
With the dark blue tempting the day to start our white and blue waved Sounder pierced through the silent morning. Aboard not a word, not a sound beyond the rustling of a newspaper could be heard.
I had a violent sneeze and decided to go down and check out the restroom for a good nose blow. I packed the laptop and headed down. The bathroom was spotless, but the faucet barely worked. It was however equiped with paper towels, always a pet peeve of mine. I then exited that and decided to go and sit in the rear of the car over the bogies (the truck assembly with the wheels).
While sitting over the bogies two thoughts came up. One was, "jeez these bogies are freaking loud!" and the other was, "ah, quaint little Sumner, I should make a point to swing in for breakfast sometime this week and just catch the #582 into downtown Tacoma after de-training". I decided the racket wasn't enough to cause me to pack up and move, but it was definitely enough to make a point not to sit in the same section again on subsequent days.
Train #1501, after the long wait to catch time in Sumner, hustled along toward Puyallup. We seemed to literally tear through things coming into Puyallup, breaking a little harder than the other stations. In short order after a few dozen boarded, including a bicyclist in my car, we pushed off. Again, Puyallup reminded me I should stop at one of the cool little breakfast dives at one of these places and catch a bite before heading in.
The sky had turned from the morning blue to an overcast gray now. The sun could be seen nowhere, something that is normal for Seattle. I personally find it oddly reassuring. After Puyallup the trip turns into a very rural farmland area as we turn westward for our final destination Tacoma. We pass through field after field of crop, cows, and other assorted farming. We pass another north bound Sounder with a jolt, I would assume to both trains, that for the unprepared and new riders is probably scary. Again, this to is just another thing that I find reassuring.
As we make our way through farm land and farm house, tree line and grassy knoll, hillside and rocky face, I relax and enjoy this trip. I can see why millions daily ride the train in Chicago and New York, in DC and Boston. It beats the hell out of driving the absurd pace that is assocaited with attempting such silly behavior (driving). It however does not beat my walking or bicycling commute in Portland. Portland still has Seattle beat in many ways. If you like the bigger city and suburbs, Seattle is your place.
With a minute or two to spare, we pull into Tacoma at 7:05am. I click publish to post this entry and cross my fingers that it works.
Commute number one south bound is complete.