Back on the Train

Since my day job moved from the suburbs to the city in the past month, I've been able to get back onto public transit to travel to and from work. No more driving out to No Man's Land and dealing with traffic on the tollway. Now I can sit and read like I used to when I lived in Brooklyn. Public transit does have its drawbacks, mainly from having to deal with other people, but I still believe the benefits outweigh the problems. I'm a strong advocate for public transit. Having affordable, reliable public transit helps us all. It reduces the amount of cars on the road, it enables people who don't have access to cars to travel, and it's a way to bring people who might otherwise be siloed into a space with people they might not normally have any interaction with. On the flip side, I do hate that the L line I ride has fabric-covered seats. Whose bright idea was that? (Someone who DOESN'T take public transit regularly, I'm sure.) Fabric can absorb all kinds of nasty stuff (bed bugs, lice, moisture). Plastic benches are the way to go for public transit. At least then you can see if the seat is wet. The CTA really needs to get on the stick and remove all of the fabric seats from the trains. They're just gross.