We are currently on vacation in California. We spent the first week with my brother's family and took a few trips into Los Angeles. Of course, my sister-in-law, the native Californian, did all the driving. Sadly, they had to leave for their own vacation, and I stayed on longer. The question was, do I stay in my comfort zone of the Santa Clarita Valley? Or, do I venture on my own and continue going on outings with my boys? Doing so would require I drive the L.A. freeways.
I could feel myself resisting. At the same time, that sense of fear was also challenging me to prove to myself (and the world!) that I can do it. I am strong! I am capable! I can be independent! So I drove myself into Los Angeles twice this week--once to the aquarium in Long Beach, and once to the Griffith Observatory. Both were successful trips.
I hope that I am teaching my boys not to be timid about doing the things they want to do. Their dad showed them in a big way to follow their dreams by hiking the Appalachian Trail. I have my own smaller travel dreams that I drag them along to enjoy with me.
I want to be fearless, but I am not quite there yet. I almost always travel to be with family. My family lives in some of the most beautiful places in our country: coastal California and New England; Utah, and its beautiful mountains and geography. I also have family through Brett who live in Bavaria, Germany. I absolutely love enjoying these areas with my family. It is so easy to travel when I have family greeting me off the plane, and coming along on outings.
But I am also determined to enjoy outings with my boys without the comfort and security of my family. I have done it before, both out-of-state and closer to home. However, this summer I am trying some new things (like driving through L.A. traffic).
The last time we visited California, my brother's family took us on the train into downtown Los Angeles. My boys wanted to take the train again. I decided to combine that with my desire to take them to the LaBrea Tar Pits.
The MetroLink (train) doesn't take you directly to the tar pits, so I had to do some research and plan a route using additional modes of transportation, like the Metro buses. We took the MetroLink train from Newhall to Union Station, walked a few blocks to the stop for the Metro bus 28, rode that for a good half hour, and walked a few more blocks until we reached the museum. Success! The only problem was that I forgot to coordinate my return travel plans. Without Wi-Fi I was stuck having to ask for help. Fortunately, a kind museum employee looked up my return route online for me. We couldn't go back the same way, because the bus we had used only ran in the morning. For our return route we walked a block to the bus stop, took the bus to a subway station, rode the Metro purple line to Union Station, and took the MetroLink from there back to Newhall. Again, success!
A few notes about our experience using L.A.'s public transportation. First, a complaint. Where is their customer service? I was disappointed that it wasn't easy to plan my route. I (and the helpful museum employee) was able to find most of the necessary information using their web site. However, without Internet access I was stuck with no tools to find my way. If there was a Metro help center or tourist information center in Union Station, I never found it. The first bus had a few paper maps/schedules, but not one for the line it was currently running! When we had to purchase our fare for the Metro subway line, there was no one available to answer my questions. I thought I could use the same TAP card (a reusable money card that you are required to use for your Metro train fares) for me and the boys. After I got through the gate and my boys couldn't follow, I was in a mild panic until a kind stranger helped me sort it out. In the end, it all worked out and I suppose I am more prepared for the next time. I will learn from this experience, and I hope my boys will too, but it would have been nice to have some on-location resources.
I think using public transportation ended up being more expensive (even if I had used my brother's gas-guzzling SUV) and took more time than if I had driven myself. (I hesitate to disclose the total cost . . . $50!) But I do feel it was worth it. My boys wanted to ride the train--check! And I want my boys to experience using public transportation so they will be comfortable navigating the system when they are older and traveling on their own. Todd is already well on his way and was a help to me yesterday working the automated TAP card machines. We have now ridden the bus and underground rails in Montreal, Boston, and Los Angeles. I hope I am preparing them well to travel with courage and enthusiasm.
I also don't want my boys to be afraid of being with locals who use the bus regularly. Certainly, I want them to be cautious and safe, but not afraid. Yesterday, Todd was the only blond-haired, blue-eyed person I saw riding the bus and the metro. The majority of the people we saw did not speak English as their first language. We rode though Chinatown and Koreatown where most of the business names and advertisements were written in a language that we can't even begin to pronounce, though some of them did include smaller English translations. We saw skyscrapers and the city, with all its graffiti, up close. And it was great. Great, in the sense that I was able to show my boys a little of the world outside of their homogeneous hometown. I love our hometown, but I know that the world is a big place, with people whose experiences are vastly different than ours. We can be kind and respectful to all people. We can also be grateful and mindful of how fortunate we are.
So far this summer I have faced the challenge of driving in L.A. and the adventure of using public transportation. Now I am ready for my next travel adventure--going to a national park and camping for two nights on my own. Tent, fire, hikes, s'mores and all!
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