In LA, and stranded without a car, I decided to take public transportation from
Playa Del Rey, Ca to Costa Mesa, Ca. This should be "not so bad", I thought. With not the highest of expectations, I ventured out in what would soon become one of the worst ideas of my life.
I will start with the positive, on the four hour bus ride/MetroLink combination, I was able to see a side of Los Angeles I had not been previously exposed to: Crenshaw, people on drugs, elderly women bitching out elderly men, the mysterious location of where our recycling and trash goes, and more. Had it not been for these things, I would have totally regretted my transportational decision.
Here are the steps and costs laid out for your eyes to see, and your heart to feel:
1) Bus 115 to IHOP- $1.25
2) Dropped at IHOP with suitcase & backpack only to find "Route Aborted"
3) Tried to scam free WIFI access in IHOP bathroom to "Reroute"
4) WIFI Not Available
5) Wandering eventually leads to alternate route
6) Bus 42A Downtown LA/Union Station $1.25
7) 2 Hours until arrive at Union Station total
8) 1.5 Hours to Kill Before Metrolink Orange County Line Leaves @ 2:30pm
9) Purchase Metrolink Ticket: $9.50
10) Wander Olvera Street with suitcase in tow
11) Find hole in teh wall vegetarian cafe that boasts best mexican hot chocolate and tamales
12) After going to ATM because of a $40 credit card limit, I find they are out of hot chocolate and tamales!
13) Order a cappuccino and sit down to use free WIFI
14) Cappuchino is worst I've ever tasted and there's no wifi
15) Chug watery cap and make my way to my train
16) Train ride lovely though I overhear a young man from Georgia confuse the words "human" and "humid" while describing Atlanta.
17) Text Katie slack about the hilarity of the confusion because of a previous waiter we had and his confusion with "specific" and "pacific".
18) Arrive in Santa Ana Train Station
19) No free bus to Orange County Fair because Friday is NOT A WEEKEND
20) Take a taxi with 3 Torrance Youth Boys who overuse the F word and we almost crash because of their heathen ways...perhaps.
21) Arrive at Orange County Fair $7 split cab fair 4 ways. Tipped extra for "life or death moment"
22) Father picks me up at Fair entrance only to find out that my step mom had the day off and would have loved to have picked me up from LA
$1.25+$1.25+$9.50+$7 and 4 hours of my life
Praise God For The Intangibles
