Day: 154
 
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This morning started out with what I thought could very well be one of my greatest travel (mis)adventures yet; public transportation through 65 miles of Southern California.  Now for those of you that can’t comprehend, it’s just like the old song “Nobody Walks in LA”, we all have cars and most would very rarely even consider getting involved in anything as shady and social as public transportation.  Instead we all isolate ourselves in our cars and continue our low density suburban sprawl.
 
For those of you that do live here, this is not a critique on any lifestyle/social choices, it is just a statement of fact on how we live here.  Its hard to explain to someone who has never been here.  I have one friend who came to visit and noticed that Californians are the only people she has ever meant who have a secret freeway language (101,10, 15, 5, 405, 60, 91, etc….). We will also carry on hour long conversations about the pros and cons of the 60 freeway, traffic patterns, quickest routes on which days of the weeks, and that when ever we give directions anywhere it involves at least 4 different interchanges . 
 
Now, knowing all that, and knowing that I would fly into almost any foreign country without any sort of plan or reservation with a look of excitement in my eyes, I will admit: I was scared to death about trying to do anything as impossible as master Los Angeles’ mass transport system.  Which is part of the reason I attempted it.  Sure I could have found a ride to the airport like I always do, but where is the excitement in that, and besides if worse came to worse I could blow small fortune and take a cab.  I hit the web, planning my attack on LA like a George Washington crossing the Delaware, I found out about the Metro, buses, airport shuttles and any other random for of transportation and finally decided on the Metrolink than a transfer to a shuttle bus from Union station to Lax.
 
Now, my dear readers, you are going to hate me…  I built this story up, with the same mounting dread I had of using this system and you know what happens? Other than the metrolink station being closed (for construction) and me having to get a few miles down the road to the next one, the morning went off without a hitch.  Clean trains and nice bus drivers, I even got dropped off in front of my terminal half an hour before I expected.  I was stunned!
 
In a state of bliss I waited in line after line, to check in, have the TSA check my bag, go through security, buy a cup of tea, and when I finally sat down, pulled out my computer, and started writing I realized that this may have been one of the least stressful trips to the airport ever.

The rest of my day went off without a hitch it was all spent on two different planes  covering 7817 miles.  I can also say that I have set a new personal best for shortest layover ever.  My plane was a little late to Miami, and I had less than an hour to change planes originally, well I walked out of gate E8 and walked right up to last boarding call at gate E10.  I spent a total of ninety seconds in the terminal. Yeah Me!

Nothing exciting yet, but I sure adventure is bound to happen…