Saturday, October 29, 2005
Change of Venue
For the last several weeks, I've been working on a project for Constellation Energy Group in Baltimore. Until now, my suburb-to-suburb commute has spared my delicate constitution from the horrors of negotiating rush-hour downtown traffic. Fortunately, the southern terminus of the Baltimore Light Rail system is in Glen Burnie, a short and stress-free car ride from home. And so, 22 years after leaving New York City, I am once again riding the rails to work.
Light Rail Mirror
Taking the Light Rail has proven to be a pleasant experience. The clean and usually uncrowded two- or three-car trains reliably run every 20 minutes in either direction. At the Baltimore end, my stop is three-quarters mile from the CEG office, and the walk takes me past the attractive waterfront of the Inner Harbor. As someone whose job is largely to sit on his butt all day, I can assure you that I welcome the daily exercize.
Convention Center Morning
If the weather is worse than a light rain, I can transfer to the Baltimore Metro (underground) for free and ride two stops to within a block of the office. All things considered, pretty good for $3.20 a day.
War & Peace
A few weeks ago, I got a reminder of what I'm missing by not driving into Baltimore. On that day, I did drive and parked in hi-rise garage. At 5pm, it took me about 15 minutes just to get out of the garage and into traffice. Since the garage emptied onto a one-way street going the wrong way, it took me another 10 minutes to crawl around the block Then a few minutes later on was on the highway, but the first mile and a half took another 10 minutes. You get the idea.
Dragon Necks
Oh, and a side-benefit of this whole thing is that I can occassionaly bring my camera and take some early-morning pictures along the photogenic Inner Harbor.
Light Rail Mirror
Taking the Light Rail has proven to be a pleasant experience. The clean and usually uncrowded two- or three-car trains reliably run every 20 minutes in either direction. At the Baltimore end, my stop is three-quarters mile from the CEG office, and the walk takes me past the attractive waterfront of the Inner Harbor. As someone whose job is largely to sit on his butt all day, I can assure you that I welcome the daily exercize.
Convention Center Morning
If the weather is worse than a light rain, I can transfer to the Baltimore Metro (underground) for free and ride two stops to within a block of the office. All things considered, pretty good for $3.20 a day.
War & Peace
A few weeks ago, I got a reminder of what I'm missing by not driving into Baltimore. On that day, I did drive and parked in hi-rise garage. At 5pm, it took me about 15 minutes just to get out of the garage and into traffice. Since the garage emptied onto a one-way street going the wrong way, it took me another 10 minutes to crawl around the block Then a few minutes later on was on the highway, but the first mile and a half took another 10 minutes. You get the idea.
Dragon Necks
Oh, and a side-benefit of this whole thing is that I can occassionaly bring my camera and take some early-morning pictures along the photogenic Inner Harbor.
