Getting Around the ABQ

Matt and I moved to our current location in order to facilitate walking, biking, and mass transportation. Matt rides his bike about 2 miles to the van stop every day. In order to do my part, I set out on my job search by foot today.

First I walked over to the Post Office near Old Town and near the Old Town Rapid Ride Station. This is about a mile walk according to MapQuest and .7 mile walk according to the USPS. I then took the Rapid Ride to the end of the line at the Uptown Transportation Center, where I would have about a 1 mile walk to the temporary staffing agency that was my goal. Folks, this Ride was not Rapid. It took well over 40 minutes to get there. No idea why. So over an hour including my walking. And I have a big, honking blister on my toe from walking in dress shoes. Meanwhile, my walk involved a bridge over the Interstate, where apparently it is cumbersome to place pedestrian buttons close to the actual crosswalk. By the time you press the button, the walk man comes on with 17 seconds, and you have to walk back to the crosswalk and across several lanes of traffic before time runs out. Its like a game. An annoying game. There are four of these crosswalks across the interstate, and they all go on for the same 17 seconds. There is no way you can get across more than one walking, and more than two running. This city is not set up for pedestrians.

Oh also on the bus, there were a bunch of homeless guys who all knew each other and were talking about what parks let you sleep in them, which is apparently now none. It was tragic and depressing. In LA, people that rode my bus were going to work. Although I generally didn't ride in the middle of the day.

I will spare you the details of my visit to the temp agency except to say that it was pathetic, humbling, and I got 73% on an Access test when I have possibly never used it in my life.

The return bus trip took only 30 minutes for some reason. Not that I'm complaining. It was much more Rapid of a Ride. And to my surprise, it was fairly busy, especially around UNM. Then I walked my mile home.

Later on I decided to go back to Old Town to drop off an application at a hotel, and then take the Rapid Ride downtown to go check out this Cafe that was looking for help. Upon reaching said cafe, I discovered that the owner goes home at 1pm. Couldn't you put this in your ad? I was planning to walk back home, just over a mile, but I decided to take a slight detour to Bank of America to get my accounts and my pin number taken care of. All set. Then I walked home. I finally stopped at a 7-11 to get a Gatorade. I am tired. And I smell. But at least I got exercise. And I only got yelled at a couple times.

Maybe, just maybe, alternative transportation will catch on in this town.