Public Transportation

In the sprawling metropolis that is Southern California, it's difficult to imagine getting around without a car. Public transportation is woefully lacking here, as it is in most parts of the US (except maybe NYC). Especially compared to places like Germany. And given how idiotic so many drivers seem to be, maybe increased public transportation would be a good thing :-P

When I moved to Germany as a recent college graduate, I brought my brand new Plymouth Neon with me (the Army shipped over my car). It's a compact car that easily gets dwarfed by the SUVs and trucks that seem to dominate the American landscape. But in Germany, it felt huge. Nothing makes your little zippy car feel big like winding through narrow cobblestone streets or trying to squeeze into a parking spot. It really gave me renewed appreciation for how plentiful and vast the public transit system was, especially in large cities.

There was a streetcar and bus station right outside the building where I lived, so it came in very handy after spending a night out on the town with friends, and making it home safely. Whenever I made a trek up north to Muenster to see family friends, I alternated between driving and taking the train. There's nothing quite like zipping along the countryside on the ICE trains! I even got a BahnCard for further discounts on my train ticket purchases.

During our recent summer trip to Germany, we opted to rent a car. We were going to be city-hopping on a daily basis, and it's just easier to have a car when traveling with a kid. It was quite a reality check to realize how expensive it can be to drive in Germany-- between the gas prices (more than twice the US average) and the cost of parking, it really added up. However, in Berlin, the only city where we stayed 2 nights instead of one, we opted to take advantage of its public transit network. From subways to trams (streetcars) to buses, we had it all at our disposal. It was so convenient, and we loved it! Todd especially liked his first ride on a subway :-)

Of note was the "poor man's tour bus", or Bus #100, a double-decker that has stops along many of Berlin's famous tourist sights. And while it certainly made it convenient for us to get from attraction to attraction, we quickly learned that it's a popular bus! At around 5:00pm, when everyone was getting off work, the buses were jam-packed!

I remember coming to Santa Barbara after finishing my active duty tour in Germany. One of the things that UCSB student fees pay for is a bus pass, so I would often ride the bus to school. However, there was only one bus that went by the stop nearest my house, and it only ran every 20 minutes! What a contrast to the bustling lines of German cities, where something came by every few minutes. Made me miss it even more!

You can't easily get by without a car over here. In Germany, I don't see how you can get around anywhere without public transit! :-)

I'm posting every day in October as part of the 31-Day Writing Challenge. Click here to read more about it and to see the rest of my posts this month!