My First Day Riding the Light Rail by Zerain Martinez

Unlike most Mondays, today I am eager to get to school. Not because of anything special going on at Red Rocks Community College, but because of how I am going to get there. The W Line is open for business, and today is my first day using the light rail. Yipee! Normally, I take the 16 to the Federal Center Station and then catch the 17 to RRCC. Going home is reversed, the 17 to the Fed Center and then the 16 home. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

The weather is nice today. I walk to the Garrison Street Station, which is twice as far away as the 16 bus stop I regularly use. There are a whopping two other riders waiting for the train. Not exactly what I expected, but hey, it's the first day. My plan is to take the train to the RRCC Station and then catch the 17 to school. The ride on the train is smooth and quick. In less than 15 minutes I'm at my destination. I walk to the 17 bus stop and realize I already messed up. The 17 isn't coming for another 20 minutes. I can either wait or just walk up the hill. The walk won't take me more than a few minutes so I decide to just walk the rest of the way. This gives me time to check my iPhone and find out what I did wrong. Lo and behold, I was suppose to take the train to the Fed Center and then catch the 17 to school. Ok, no harm no foul. All I have to remember is that my commute to school is the same. Instead of the 16, I substitute the light rail.

After school, I board the 17 and head to the Fed Center. I'm on autopilot and plan on taking my usual bus home, sweet number 16. The first thing I notice is that the 17's route has been cut short. It's now basically just a shuttle service between the Fed Center and RRCC. The second thing I notice is that I can't seem to find the 16 bus stop at the Fed Center. Houston, we have a problem. I start my gridpattern search for the elusive 16 bus stop.

During my search, it dawns on me that there seem to be a bunch of people wearing the same type of clothing and clustered in groups talking to each other. At first, I thought they were fellow riders but they weren't necessarily waiting at bus stops. I'm a diehard introvert. For me to approach a complete stranger and initiate conversation takes a conscious effort. It's kind of sad, but I have to actually visualize the whole process. After a dry run in my mind, I ask the closest group if they can answer a question about the buses. Eureka, these folks who are all dressed alike are here to answer ridership questions. Part of me wants to ask why they aren't proactively walking to each rider and asking people if they have any questions. Another thing, why don't these folks have big lettering on their shirts, "Ask me for help". The other part of me that just wants to get home wins out and I keep my dissatisfaction to myself. I'm informed that the 16 no longer runs to the Fed Center. To get home, I just need to take the train back to the Garrison Street Station. I board the train and head home.

My first day could have been better.