Riding on the (LA) Metro

"It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something. " - Don Cheadle, Opening Line of "Crash."

Car culture is as much a part of LA as Hollywood or Disneyland. We love our cars (as we should considering how much time we spend in them). We are "safe" behind the steel and glass. We can wear uncomforable shoes 24x7 because we never have to walk. We don't have to interact with others unless we choose to.

Well, even though allegedy, "Nobody Walks in LA", there's one young Newlywed braving the streets of Los Angeles and the LA Metro.



This week, I began my "car-less" lifestyle by taking the Metro from Downtown Long Beach to my office in El Segundo via the Blue Line and the Green Line (with about 2/3 of a mile of walking total). It's suprising easy!

It only takes 1 hour, 15 mins door-to-door (which isn't bad considering the freeway takes almost as long and I can read magazines and books on the journey). The walking is a good little workout, the Metro is cheap, and not driving is "green". Overall, I like it.

Here is a picture I took on the Green Line yesterday:


I guess now I'm a counterexample to the Los Angelinos described in "Crash" -- I'm not hidden behind "metal and glass" and on the crowded train (yes, it actually gets crowded.. who knew) you actually end up touching people.

Also, here's something fun -- I found this website called WalkScore.com. You can put in your address it tells you the walkability of your neighborhood. My neighborhood in Downtown Long Beach scored a 92: A Walker's Paradise!

How about your neighborhood? How walkable is it?