How to do mass transit right
Paris has the best subway system I've ever used. Trains go anywhere you want. (Even the snooty 8th arrondisement. No black holes for rich neighborhoods, such as for Georgetown in the D.C. metro system.) And they run frequently. We haven't waited more than 4 minutes for a subway all week.
Even better: the Velib system for bike rentals. All around the city are racks of bikes that anybody can rent anytime. You can even turn in the bike at a different rack, and it's all recorded and paid for automatically. This is how to do mass transit correctly. Of course, gas at 10 a gallon is an incentive.
Comments
Mass transit in Baltimore appears to be an afterthought, if thought of at all. Her transportation system is disappointingly frustrating and downright frightening to those who aren't adept to the thrills of living in urban America. Never mind a subway or railway system that dares go east to west, try catching a bus that goes east to west in this city! The Magic Eraser board known as the MTA needs to start over and shake again...
Posted by: Donnie | July 10, 2008 4:49 PM
You forgot to mention dirty, hot (in the summer) and smelly - it's as good as New York's but more artsy like the Louvre stop and the ubiquitous larger than life poster ads. (Have you seen children peeing on the walls yet? Less fortunate Parisians think since there is a small drain at the bottom of the tiled wall, that its ok to do so). Eclectic trains, that you need to learn to open yourself if you want to get out. Don't get caught in rush hour especially at Gare du Nord since its almost like Tokyo with a packed sardines effect.
The Metro in Paris is not open 24 hours either. But you're right about it going everywhere you want (or would rather not want) to be. It's not for first timers or the faint of heart either, you could easily go through any tube and come out the wrong sortie.
Posted by: Eric | July 10, 2008 6:25 PM