Moving to a big city was quite a change for me. I was used to suburban Layton, where I drove everywhere I wanted to go. I didn't have a car in Salt Lake, so public transportation became my prime mode of getting around. My only experience with public transportation before this was a few years ago in Washington, D.C. All I could remember were crowded trains, confusing signs, and getting lost frequently. The idea of riding public transportation often, terrified me. It didn’t help when my brother told me horror stories of accidently taking Sandy trains, talking to ‘crazy’ people, and getting lost.
After riding Trax and Frontrunner at least twice a week this semester, I’m not so afraid anymore. I know all of the stops and I’ve found that the majority of people that ride are pretty normal. I quickly learned that the best defense to ‘crazy’ people talking to you was to always appear to be busy. I always have headphones and something to read and generally, they leave me alone.
Over the semester I’ve accumulated funny stories of people on Trax. In one of my first experiences riding, I was sitting in front of two people from the Netherlands. It must have been their first time in America, because after seeing the Olympic Torch by the stadium, one remarked, “That’s it? I thought everything in America was supposed to be big!” They also weren’t very impressed with our stadium that had no covering. “Doesn’t it snow here? How do they use it in winter?” they asked. I’ve also seen people skateboarding up and down the aisle of the train and a ‘gangster’ singing opera, just to name a few.
I almost look forward to riding Trax now because I know something funny will happen every time I ride. I also really like not worrying about paying for gas or driving in the snow. Riding public transportation has turned out to be a great way for me to get to know Salt Lake.
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