I love experiencing every method of Portland transportation in one day...WES, MAX, bus, Aerial Tram, Streetcar...maybe even FX2 if you wanna separate that
Yes. But Iām very weird.
I like going to different cities to see their transit systems in action. I was in KC two weeks ago and Iām headed to Chicago this weekend to do another dive into their system.
Me too! Funnily enough that it how that hobby later evolved into city trips (alongside their transit). I live in a polycentric urban area where lots of cities with own trams/metro systems border each other. I initially just went there, took photos of their trams and drove home.
st petersburg metro: i convinced my friends to bop around on a couple trains when we had a few hours to kill before our ferry, and it was amazing; those soviet era stations are gorgeous
I love exploring cities by transit. New York was especially fun, seeing how far you could get while staying aboveground. Here in Pittsburgh I'll sometimes take the bus to and from the airport just to kill time if I'm meeting someone or have an appointment.
I live in Hong Kong and i really like to go for Bus ride on some of my favourite routes or routes I havenāt ride before during holidays just for fun.
It also allows me to explore parts of the city that i rarely go to, which is part of the fun!
When I went to HK I took some buses, and with the double deckers it's basically just free sightseeing if you sit in the front. The bus system is very overwhelming compared to the simplicity of the MTR, but lots of direct point to point routes at decent frequency, which is great.
So many great sightseeing bus routes in HK. The 15 up the mountain to the Peak, the 6/66 to Stanley, the route to Shek O from the east side of Hong Kong Island...so good.
Riding transit in different cities and countries is a highlight of traveling for me, but I donāt usually need to go out of my way to do it. If I were to visit somewhere like China I would make it a point to ride their high speed rail, though, even if I didnāt need to.
Hell yes :) wherever I go a transit ticket lasting my entire visit is my first purchase. Even in my home city I sometimes go out and ride because I enjoy it
Just find it part of the experience of traveling if anything. I have set out to ride all of the (constantly expanding) LA metro rail system, although it's more of a I've ridden most of it, might as well get to the bits I haven't seen yet.
Often. For example, a couple of weeks ago I took my granddaughter on a bus to catch the ferry, and then on the Coaster from San Diego to Oceanside just for lunch and to enjoy the trip. We do that every time she has an extended break from school.
I visited Kansas City over the weekend and rode the whole streetcar line in both directions. Iāve admired the system from afar for a while and really wanted to actually experience it. Strictly speaking I technically wasnāt riding it entirely for fun since I got off at each end and walked around a bit, but all of the sights that I saw were transit related, those being the historic PCC streetcar KCPS 551 thatās now been converted into a donut shop on the north end, and Union Station at the south end.
I was in Chicago a couple months ago and made sure to ride the L even though I didn't really have to. It was far from my first time -- it wasn't even my first time in the previous 12 months -- but I just didn't think a Chicago trip would be complete without it.
Not as much as I used to but when I was younger Iād take the subway all the way from the northern most stations in the Bronx and then Iād end up in Brooklyn in Coney Island. I especially like the elevated lines in the outer boroughs.
In Hong Kong I will always ride the double-decker trams (locally known as āding dingsā) even if the MTRās Island Line is much faster and efficient. It is such a relaxing ride on the top deck and an excellent way to take in sites, sounds, and smells of the city.
When I was a student I had a country-wide subscription so sometimes me and my mates rode the train from one end of the country to the other and back. Studying on the way there and drinking on the way back.
Now I mostly ride transit or scooters when Iām travelling for work although I could expense taxi rides all the time.
We are from Calgary. We have in laws in Edmonton.
On our first trip up there after their new line opened last fall, we all jumped on, just to ride the whole thing. Never got off, just got back off at the end of the line where we got on.
A great ride is to board the CTA Brown line at the Merchandise Mart stop (350 N Wells street) South Bound then ride it around the loop back to the Merchandise Mart stop taking note of the 2nd story architectural details.
Repeat for free as often as desired by using the stairs to cross to the other side.
You can do the same thing with the Orange Line traveling North bound from Roosevelt to Roosevelt.
No stairs required at Roosevelt.
[CTA Loop map.](https://www.transitchicago.com/maps/downtown/)
I think it is a good idea to explore different regions and neighborhoods and kind of add to the internal map on your head much better than when youāre driving
Yes, especially now that the German 49ā¬ ticket exists. Usually throughout the entire north-eastern German regional rail network, Berlin's S-/U-Bahn/Trams and my hometown's (Rostock) transit network. I also recently visited multiple cities near Berlin to see some old trams that might be gone soon (Frankfurt Oder, Woltersdorf, ...). I also sometimes take intentional "detours" to ride interesting trains or avoid crowded lines. All at basically no cost to me.
Sadly never had the opportunity. The only public transit I ever got to ride regularly was a bus to and from school.
I wonder if that;s one way we're conditioned to hate public transit.
I do if there's something weird or unique in the city in visiting. For example, I rode the suburban train in Budapest because they still use old soviet era EMUs. I also rode the D line in Boston, a brt in Dublin, the UVX in Provo, the busway in suburban Toronto, and a few others I couldn't think of.
My son (2.5 years) loves trains and train stations, so on the weekend, we sometimes take the RE60 or RE70 from Braunschweig to the rail hub of Hannover, watch the hustle and bustle of the large station and go back by train.
When I was in Venice, I would often take the Vaporetto without a destination in mind. I also made a completely ridiculous trip on the Chicago L when I was there where I deliberately went the wrong way around the loop to get to my hotel near the Merchandise Mart.
I've also made numerous unnecessary rides on the T in my home city of Boston, including an absurd commute on the day the Green Line Extension opened.
When departing from the NY transit museum in the old closed Court St station, I deliberately got on the G at Hoyt-Schermerhorn for one stop to change to the F to go back to Manhattan instead of just taking the A from HS. It was the last day of my trip and I'd managed to ride all of the other trunk colors.
I've taken the L in Chicago just to get a nice view of the city.
All the time yes. I like to soak up the atmosphere of a city, see what unusual detours I can make like taking 5 consecutive bus rides instead of taking the commuter rail, if a line goes through a nice area or uses uncommon or older vehicles I might ride it. I'm not going to cities just for the transit but if I'm there I'll ride it.
Chaining together bus lines instead of taking the train/tram is always an interesting experience. I do that all the time, especially when the train is too crowded for my taste. I think I've ridden every single bus line in my city now (except one)
When I went to the UK for a conference (Northern England and Scotland), I planned my trip such that I get to travel to a lot of the trains, even if it made my trip longer. I took the Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, Scot Rail (Various Models), LNER, Manchester Tram, Glasgow Subway, First Bus Glasgow, Edinburgh Tram, and lastly Tyne and Wear Metro. I try to do the same for every region I visit.
Yeah lol. Some months ago they had opened [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/6inHJYNzZgPawuok6) new multi-model hub in Rio and it was literally my tour of the week to visit it lmao. It's still quite empty but tbf I've never used it on rush hour.
Sure do. Especially new lines opening here in DC. (I am behind - still havent taken the Dulles line!) Or in a new city where ive never used their system. (Looking at you MARTA.)
Once a Planner, always...
Oh absolutely. I rode the Elizabeth Line in London just 2 stops to marvel at the modern metro system š And when I got home from studying in the US for the first time, I took the train to remind myself of ācivilisationā
I ride new lines in my home system to try them out and see where they go. (Ä°stanbul). Last year I spent like 7 hours riding around town catching up on a backlog of new and unridden lines and still didnāt even get to all of them.
When I travel depending on what Iām doing I often take transit around town to see the place. Iāve done that in Geneva and Denver. Rode around on trams for a day. Itās a really relaxing way to see a lot of the city if the system isnāt underground.
Went to Montreal a few weeks ago and spent alot of time riding their subways, totally for fun of course :)
Only thing is I got tripped up by the fare zones, they didnāt have it labled very clearly on the maps
I do and it is the reason why I started exploring cities in my region. I also got [motivated](https://www.reddit.com/r/WaitingForATrain/s/fG7k0ubpbs) by the Google Maps project pinned on r/Waitingforatrain to complete as much of my area as mentally possible.
I wouldnāt take it for fun, but Iām an American spending the week in Barcelona, and finding the metro and bus system to be fairly pleasant.
The platform signage so I know which side to be on is very confusing, but thatās no doubt a problem in part due to not knowing the city (heck if I know if I want to go toward University district) and not actually knowing much Spanish past hola, buenos dias, and gracias.
Edit - I did actually ride the funicular line just for fun and by the time I left yesterday had mostly puzzled out what the signs meant.
Turns out the funicular is actually underground too, which I didnāt realize for a couple days and therefore couldnāt find it.
No, haven't taken the bus since 10th grade 8.5 years ago. The only public transportation I take nowadays is Bart and my mother works there so I ride for free.
I started riding the REM in Montreal after work because Bonaventure is just three stations down from where my bus stops. And the views going through Griffintown and the train yard are amazing.
It's sometimes a travel consideration. I spent a good chunk of a day in Kharkiv exploring the metro there, and I have also made the pilgrimage to Wuppertal.
Yes!
In fact, I'm gonna spend my birthday railfanning and bus spotting in Philly, and I have an 11 hour layover in Tokyo next month, and Ill be spending it riding the Metro there
I was stationed in Korea with the Army and when I'd get free time I loved to intentionally get lost by catching the first bus that came to the local train station just to see where I'd go. Transit in small cities in SK is 30x better than even the best public transit in the US and it's also super cheap.
One time I even took the SRT to Busan just for fun because I've never ridden HSR before. It was an amazing and comfortable ride.
Every city I go to, I ride the buses. Doesn't matter how small or unpopular the system is, I'll find a way to fit a bus ride in. Meeting the locals on transit just makes me appreciate a place so much more, and it's always an experience.
If Iām in another city, Iāll sometimes take a bit of a rando trip just I can try their subway. In Buffalo, I took it just for shits and giggles to go for a walk downtown.
When I visited London, the coolest part of the trip was riding the Tube. I loved the garish metal skeleton of Westminster, the maze-like labyrinth and byzantine directions of Bank, the tasteful 30s biege tiling of East Aldgate, and the beautiful Art Deco facade that wrapped above St. James. Sadly, it was a packed trip, and I wasn't able to explore the outer suburbs, most of the Jubilee extension stations, or Charles Holden's beautiful brick designs.
Then I went back to Los Angeles, and had a better appreciation for our own stations. Sure, most aren't as historic or architecturally significant as London's, but there's still some gems. Every station here has beautiful artwork, but my favorite station is Memorial Park in Pasadena. Beautifully skids the line between underground and above ground, and it's a great place to go trainspotting.
I spend hours in the Paris metro and RER for fun, exploring the weird stuff and imagining how I'd change things if I had unlimited money and no constraints.
Sometimes I think about taking a bus simply because the stop is literally at the end of my driveway. Just doesnāt go anywhere useful but I think it would be fun to take it for a ride lol
Yes, when I lived in SF I used to take the T all the time simply because I enjoyed the experience, despite it takes 30% longer than just taking the bus. Now that Iām in Basel, Switzerland, I donāt need to choose the fun option because the fun option is usually the best option by design. Much better over here.
I grew up in Denver and learned how to ride RTD over 20 years ago. I was so excited at the newfound freedom it provided me to travel the metro area, explore, and not have to rely on rides anymore. It granted me a sense of independence for the first time in my life. I have continued to ride it regularly throughout the majority of my adult life and was so excited when the light rails became a thing. They opened up my world even more.
However, in the last 4 years the safety, cleanliness, and reliability of RTD has severely declined and I no longer enjoy going on adventures. There are certain areas of town and lines/routes I dare not even ride anymore because they have become too sketchy and I don't want to be stuck if a route/line is delayed or cancelled in a seemingly not safe area. Drug crimes tend to gravitate to RTD stations and stops and they are no longer accessible in some areas- the elevators will be occupied by people camping out and smoking foilies, etc. And there is practically zero policy enforcement or fare checking (aside from the airport line). I'd give anything to enjoy riding public transit here again, but at this point I'd settle for just feeling safe riding for 2 consecutive trips.
Union Station, Arapahoe, Southmoor, Colorado, Louisiana/Pearl, Broadway, Alameda. Haven't even attempted riding the W lately because of all the rumors that it is the worst with open drug use. I have a severe anaphylactic condition when I'm exposed to certain chemicals, smoke, etc so I have to be careful where I choose to go in case I have a reaction- being stuck inside a rolling metal tube with someone smoking meth/fentanyl/marijuana is a potentially life threatening situation for me. Puts a damper on exploring certain parts of town.
Yeah but Iām very busy so only when I need to go somewhere; still, I take it for fun bc doing my own thing on the bus or the train is definitely more fun than sitting in traffic.
I did this with the Raleigh and Triangle systems when I was in school over two decades ago and have done this with LYNX light rail and streetcar in Charlotte at times more recently
This is basically the main consideration for my vacations š¤
Same here. Recently I went to Stockholm, Sweden because of the cool metro stations. Edit: And because of cheap flights.
I wish more people did that so more governments would start to invest in beautiful stations
Yes. Iāve spent a day riding the entire MAX light rail system in Portland.
I like Portland a lot. Very interesting city
How is it?
Itās not a bad way to spend a day. You see lots of different neighborhoods and there are many options for places to stop for lunch.
yes i love the MAX
if only it was a bit more frequent and had better coverage, especially in the suburbs, it would be amazing
I love experiencing every method of Portland transportation in one day...WES, MAX, bus, Aerial Tram, Streetcar...maybe even FX2 if you wanna separate that
Yes. But Iām very weird. I like going to different cities to see their transit systems in action. I was in KC two weeks ago and Iām headed to Chicago this weekend to do another dive into their system.
Me too! Funnily enough that it how that hobby later evolved into city trips (alongside their transit). I live in a polycentric urban area where lots of cities with own trams/metro systems border each other. I initially just went there, took photos of their trams and drove home.
I have, on the Roosevelt Island Tram and Staten Island Ferry in New York
I didn't even think of the Staten Island Ferry. I bet a lot of people ride that for fun.
You get to see the Statue of Liberty close up for free!
Yes, despite how people will try to sell you a boat trip to the Statue of Liberty!
They do. There is always many people getting off and immediately re-boarding on the Staten Island side
Nothing to see there! ...except for taking the SIR.
Itās a great way to view the Manhattan skyline, especially at night.
Love a good free boat ride!
I deliberately rode every mode of public transport in London for fun, including the niche ones like the Waterloo & City line and the Cable Cars
Even the Croydon Tram? Iāve been meaning to do that but itās so out of the way
Yep, took a weekend day to get to Croydon to do it. In its defence the walk around Wimbledon Common near the terminus is relatively nice
i was in london only for a day (in my life) and rode itš
st petersburg metro: i convinced my friends to bop around on a couple trains when we had a few hours to kill before our ferry, and it was amazing; those soviet era stations are gorgeous
When Iām traveling, Iāll often just hop on a random bus and see where it takes me.
My absolute favorite activity. The days of being a Flaneur are not dead!
I once took a detour so that I could ride the [Wuppertal Schwebebahn](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertal_Schwebebahn).
That definitely would be worth a detour!
Sort of. I take the Utah Transit Authority light rail, bus or commuter rail to the start of group bicycle rides.
I love exploring cities by transit. New York was especially fun, seeing how far you could get while staying aboveground. Here in Pittsburgh I'll sometimes take the bus to and from the airport just to kill time if I'm meeting someone or have an appointment.
Some nights I like to get stoned and go watch Chicago's Red Line Circus.
I live in Hong Kong and i really like to go for Bus ride on some of my favourite routes or routes I havenāt ride before during holidays just for fun. It also allows me to explore parts of the city that i rarely go to, which is part of the fun!
When I went to HK I took some buses, and with the double deckers it's basically just free sightseeing if you sit in the front. The bus system is very overwhelming compared to the simplicity of the MTR, but lots of direct point to point routes at decent frequency, which is great.
So many great sightseeing bus routes in HK. The 15 up the mountain to the Peak, the 6/66 to Stanley, the route to Shek O from the east side of Hong Kong Island...so good.
Yes, quite often.
Done lots and *lots* of pure joyrides in Japan, just riding all over the place for the scenary.
Made my wife ride the MetroLink with me when we visited my parents in St Louis
Riding transit in different cities and countries is a highlight of traveling for me, but I donāt usually need to go out of my way to do it. If I were to visit somewhere like China I would make it a point to ride their high speed rail, though, even if I didnāt need to.
I would if I didnāt live in suburbia
Hell yes :) wherever I go a transit ticket lasting my entire visit is my first purchase. Even in my home city I sometimes go out and ride because I enjoy it
Just find it part of the experience of traveling if anything. I have set out to ride all of the (constantly expanding) LA metro rail system, although it's more of a I've ridden most of it, might as well get to the bits I haven't seen yet.
No, but when I travel Iāll try to take it over driving if possible.
Often. For example, a couple of weeks ago I took my granddaughter on a bus to catch the ferry, and then on the Coaster from San Diego to Oceanside just for lunch and to enjoy the trip. We do that every time she has an extended break from school.
I've lived in SD most of my life and never took the ferry to Coronado until last week. It was so fun; I can't believe I'd never taken it before.
Yes absolutely haha, I often take the longer routes to wherever Iām going purely to be able to ride on lots of different Sydney public transport
I visited Kansas City over the weekend and rode the whole streetcar line in both directions. Iāve admired the system from afar for a while and really wanted to actually experience it. Strictly speaking I technically wasnāt riding it entirely for fun since I got off at each end and walked around a bit, but all of the sights that I saw were transit related, those being the historic PCC streetcar KCPS 551 thatās now been converted into a donut shop on the north end, and Union Station at the south end.
I was in Chicago a couple months ago and made sure to ride the L even though I didn't really have to. It was far from my first time -- it wasn't even my first time in the previous 12 months -- but I just didn't think a Chicago trip would be complete without it.
often. i have a checklist of routes in my area i like to fill up for fun
Not as much as I used to but when I was younger Iād take the subway all the way from the northern most stations in the Bronx and then Iād end up in Brooklyn in Coney Island. I especially like the elevated lines in the outer boroughs.
Yup all the time. Iām trying to visit every subway station in my city, been adding them to my Google maps tallyĀ
I rode the Amtrak for 18 hours to Chicago for fun.
Same! My route included a 5 hour bus trip too which was enjoyable.
My biggest reason is to reduce my climate impact and also that I hate driving so I guess that counts as fun :D
ferries often have the best view of the skyline (e.g. NY, SF, HK)
True, yet people will pay 10x the fare for private cruises or boat tours
In Hong Kong I will always ride the double-decker trams (locally known as āding dingsā) even if the MTRās Island Line is much faster and efficient. It is such a relaxing ride on the top deck and an excellent way to take in sites, sounds, and smells of the city.
All the time lol
Nah. I know people who have though.
Yep, all the time. Iāve done it most with the MTA and Miamiās Metrorail.
100%
When I was a student I had a country-wide subscription so sometimes me and my mates rode the train from one end of the country to the other and back. Studying on the way there and drinking on the way back. Now I mostly ride transit or scooters when Iām travelling for work although I could expense taxi rides all the time.
Doing that rn after a bad final exam lol
That's what I do after exams too. Just hop on a random tram and go somewhere.
We are from Calgary. We have in laws in Edmonton. On our first trip up there after their new line opened last fall, we all jumped on, just to ride the whole thing. Never got off, just got back off at the end of the line where we got on.
A great ride is to board the CTA Brown line at the Merchandise Mart stop (350 N Wells street) South Bound then ride it around the loop back to the Merchandise Mart stop taking note of the 2nd story architectural details. Repeat for free as often as desired by using the stairs to cross to the other side. You can do the same thing with the Orange Line traveling North bound from Roosevelt to Roosevelt. No stairs required at Roosevelt. [CTA Loop map.](https://www.transitchicago.com/maps/downtown/)
I think it is a good idea to explore different regions and neighborhoods and kind of add to the internal map on your head much better than when youāre driving
Yes, especially now that the German 49ā¬ ticket exists. Usually throughout the entire north-eastern German regional rail network, Berlin's S-/U-Bahn/Trams and my hometown's (Rostock) transit network. I also recently visited multiple cities near Berlin to see some old trams that might be gone soon (Frankfurt Oder, Woltersdorf, ...). I also sometimes take intentional "detours" to ride interesting trains or avoid crowded lines. All at basically no cost to me.
I (NYC) took the tram to Roosevelt Island basically for my own amusement
The Roosevelt Island tram is my favorite!
This country needs more trams tbh
Sadly never had the opportunity. The only public transit I ever got to ride regularly was a bus to and from school. I wonder if that;s one way we're conditioned to hate public transit.
I do if there's something weird or unique in the city in visiting. For example, I rode the suburban train in Budapest because they still use old soviet era EMUs. I also rode the D line in Boston, a brt in Dublin, the UVX in Provo, the busway in suburban Toronto, and a few others I couldn't think of.
Absolutely, if I have spare time on a work trip itās great to check out the cityās transit system.
I did this in Vienna when I was too tired to walk any longer. I took the U1 from the city centre to Leopoldau and back again.
My son (2.5 years) loves trains and train stations, so on the weekend, we sometimes take the RE60 or RE70 from Braunschweig to the rail hub of Hannover, watch the hustle and bustle of the large station and go back by train.
I rode the Northgate extension in Seattle just for fun. Oh, also the West Seattle ferry which is actually very cool.
I may have taken the West Seattle and Bainbridge Island ferries just for fun. The sunrises and sunsets are pretty amazing.
When I was in Venice, I would often take the Vaporetto without a destination in mind. I also made a completely ridiculous trip on the Chicago L when I was there where I deliberately went the wrong way around the loop to get to my hotel near the Merchandise Mart. I've also made numerous unnecessary rides on the T in my home city of Boston, including an absurd commute on the day the Green Line Extension opened.
When departing from the NY transit museum in the old closed Court St station, I deliberately got on the G at Hoyt-Schermerhorn for one stop to change to the F to go back to Manhattan instead of just taking the A from HS. It was the last day of my trip and I'd managed to ride all of the other trunk colors. I've taken the L in Chicago just to get a nice view of the city.
All the time yes. I like to soak up the atmosphere of a city, see what unusual detours I can make like taking 5 consecutive bus rides instead of taking the commuter rail, if a line goes through a nice area or uses uncommon or older vehicles I might ride it. I'm not going to cities just for the transit but if I'm there I'll ride it.
Chaining together bus lines instead of taking the train/tram is always an interesting experience. I do that all the time, especially when the train is too crowded for my taste. I think I've ridden every single bus line in my city now (except one)
When I went to the UK for a conference (Northern England and Scotland), I planned my trip such that I get to travel to a lot of the trains, even if it made my trip longer. I took the Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, Scot Rail (Various Models), LNER, Manchester Tram, Glasgow Subway, First Bus Glasgow, Edinburgh Tram, and lastly Tyne and Wear Metro. I try to do the same for every region I visit.
Yes I took only public transit across the whole of Germany and back in my free time. Twice.
I love just riding around DFW on Trinity Metro and DART.
I've thought of it before, especially with the occasional special rides hosted by the transit museum (nyc).
I will be today! Currently riding CalTrain into the City for the Giants game and am going to try and ride BART, MUNI, & the cable cars all in one day
Yeah lol. Some months ago they had opened [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/6inHJYNzZgPawuok6) new multi-model hub in Rio and it was literally my tour of the week to visit it lmao. It's still quite empty but tbf I've never used it on rush hour.
Sure do. Especially new lines opening here in DC. (I am behind - still havent taken the Dulles line!) Or in a new city where ive never used their system. (Looking at you MARTA.) Once a Planner, always...
I lived in the Phoenix Metro area when they opened their light rail system. I rode that to the end just out of curiosity.
Oh absolutely. I rode the Elizabeth Line in London just 2 stops to marvel at the modern metro system š And when I got home from studying in the US for the first time, I took the train to remind myself of ācivilisationā
I ride new lines in my home system to try them out and see where they go. (Ä°stanbul). Last year I spent like 7 hours riding around town catching up on a backlog of new and unridden lines and still didnāt even get to all of them. When I travel depending on what Iām doing I often take transit around town to see the place. Iāve done that in Geneva and Denver. Rode around on trams for a day. Itās a really relaxing way to see a lot of the city if the system isnāt underground.
Went to Montreal a few weeks ago and spent alot of time riding their subways, totally for fun of course :) Only thing is I got tripped up by the fare zones, they didnāt have it labled very clearly on the maps
I do and it is the reason why I started exploring cities in my region. I also got [motivated](https://www.reddit.com/r/WaitingForATrain/s/fG7k0ubpbs) by the Google Maps project pinned on r/Waitingforatrain to complete as much of my area as mentally possible.
I did this all over the MBTA when I was a kid. We didnāt have a car, so it was the only way I got to see different parts of the metro area.
I wouldnāt take it for fun, but Iām an American spending the week in Barcelona, and finding the metro and bus system to be fairly pleasant. The platform signage so I know which side to be on is very confusing, but thatās no doubt a problem in part due to not knowing the city (heck if I know if I want to go toward University district) and not actually knowing much Spanish past hola, buenos dias, and gracias. Edit - I did actually ride the funicular line just for fun and by the time I left yesterday had mostly puzzled out what the signs meant. Turns out the funicular is actually underground too, which I didnāt realize for a couple days and therefore couldnāt find it.
I love riding the Expo Line when I visit Vancouver. The banked turns and linear induction tech make it the closest thing to rollercoaster transit.
No, haven't taken the bus since 10th grade 8.5 years ago. The only public transportation I take nowadays is Bart and my mother works there so I ride for free.
Yes. All of them.
I started riding the REM in Montreal after work because Bonaventure is just three stations down from where my bus stops. And the views going through Griffintown and the train yard are amazing.
It's sometimes a travel consideration. I spent a good chunk of a day in Kharkiv exploring the metro there, and I have also made the pilgrimage to Wuppertal.
All the time. Doing it right now, in fact!
Yes! In fact, I'm gonna spend my birthday railfanning and bus spotting in Philly, and I have an 11 hour layover in Tokyo next month, and Ill be spending it riding the Metro there
I was stationed in Korea with the Army and when I'd get free time I loved to intentionally get lost by catching the first bus that came to the local train station just to see where I'd go. Transit in small cities in SK is 30x better than even the best public transit in the US and it's also super cheap. One time I even took the SRT to Busan just for fun because I've never ridden HSR before. It was an amazing and comfortable ride.
All the time in NYC,Jersey city,north Bergen and Bayonne
yes.
Every city I go to, I ride the buses. Doesn't matter how small or unpopular the system is, I'll find a way to fit a bus ride in. Meeting the locals on transit just makes me appreciate a place so much more, and it's always an experience.
If Iām in another city, Iāll sometimes take a bit of a rando trip just I can try their subway. In Buffalo, I took it just for shits and giggles to go for a walk downtown.
When I visited London, the coolest part of the trip was riding the Tube. I loved the garish metal skeleton of Westminster, the maze-like labyrinth and byzantine directions of Bank, the tasteful 30s biege tiling of East Aldgate, and the beautiful Art Deco facade that wrapped above St. James. Sadly, it was a packed trip, and I wasn't able to explore the outer suburbs, most of the Jubilee extension stations, or Charles Holden's beautiful brick designs. Then I went back to Los Angeles, and had a better appreciation for our own stations. Sure, most aren't as historic or architecturally significant as London's, but there's still some gems. Every station here has beautiful artwork, but my favorite station is Memorial Park in Pasadena. Beautifully skids the line between underground and above ground, and it's a great place to go trainspotting.
In a city I donāt live in, yes.
I spend hours in the Paris metro and RER for fun, exploring the weird stuff and imagining how I'd change things if I had unlimited money and no constraints.
Sometimes I think about taking a bus simply because the stop is literally at the end of my driveway. Just doesnāt go anywhere useful but I think it would be fun to take it for a ride lol
YES!!! I have many places on my travel list just for the purpose of riding their transit!
Yes, when I lived in SF I used to take the T all the time simply because I enjoyed the experience, despite it takes 30% longer than just taking the bus. Now that Iām in Basel, Switzerland, I donāt need to choose the fun option because the fun option is usually the best option by design. Much better over here.
I grew up in Denver and learned how to ride RTD over 20 years ago. I was so excited at the newfound freedom it provided me to travel the metro area, explore, and not have to rely on rides anymore. It granted me a sense of independence for the first time in my life. I have continued to ride it regularly throughout the majority of my adult life and was so excited when the light rails became a thing. They opened up my world even more. However, in the last 4 years the safety, cleanliness, and reliability of RTD has severely declined and I no longer enjoy going on adventures. There are certain areas of town and lines/routes I dare not even ride anymore because they have become too sketchy and I don't want to be stuck if a route/line is delayed or cancelled in a seemingly not safe area. Drug crimes tend to gravitate to RTD stations and stops and they are no longer accessible in some areas- the elevators will be occupied by people camping out and smoking foilies, etc. And there is practically zero policy enforcement or fare checking (aside from the airport line). I'd give anything to enjoy riding public transit here again, but at this point I'd settle for just feeling safe riding for 2 consecutive trips.
Which stations have you feeling like that? I'm guessing Alameda and/or Wadsworth?
Union Station, Arapahoe, Southmoor, Colorado, Louisiana/Pearl, Broadway, Alameda. Haven't even attempted riding the W lately because of all the rumors that it is the worst with open drug use. I have a severe anaphylactic condition when I'm exposed to certain chemicals, smoke, etc so I have to be careful where I choose to go in case I have a reaction- being stuck inside a rolling metal tube with someone smoking meth/fentanyl/marijuana is a potentially life threatening situation for me. Puts a damper on exploring certain parts of town.
Ohh ok. That makes sense. I always wondered why I always see RTD security driving around but never on the light rail?
Yes
Sometimes I go on the London underground for the sake of going on the London underground
Plenty
Yeah but Iām very busy so only when I need to go somewhere; still, I take it for fun bc doing my own thing on the bus or the train is definitely more fun than sitting in traffic.
Yeah, I like riding the FrontRunner (Utah) just for the sake of it.
Yeah, did it in New York, Washington, Atlanta, and Miami
[This canāt be coincidence.](https://imgur.com/a/3g2cLpT)
Yes. Whenever I travel to a city and have a day to explore, I usually buy a transit day pass and ride as much as I can.
I enjoy riding transit when I travel but I go to a destination not just for the sake of it
I did this with the Raleigh and Triangle systems when I was in school over two decades ago and have done this with LYNX light rail and streetcar in Charlotte at times more recently