Day 293 is on her way

My mom got into Chicago this Thursday. WOOHOO!!! I believe we've already discussed my fear of train platforms, oncoming trains, dying via trains, etc.... Well... nothing's changed! The tracks where I was waiting for the blue line to take me to the airport to pick up mom are right off the highway. I mean... mere feet away from very fast moving traffic. I basically found a pole and stood directly next to it, as far away from the tracks as possible, and tried not to have a panic attack before the train came. So scary!

Day 189 is mesmerized

My new (not yet furnished) Chicago pad is quite close to a train. Sometimes we can hear the train go by, and it's just about my favorite thing ever. I stood under the tracks today to get this picture. The early morning shadows caused some very cool patterns that I was totally digging. ps. I love transit. Can you tell?

Day 174 waiting on the railroad

I have to pass train tracks on my route to work. Even though I'm rarely out at the same time, I tend to get stuck waiting either on my way home or out on an errand; in today's case, the latter. On my way to the bank I sat parked, waiting on the slowest-moving freight train of all time. I waited for nearly twenty minutes, in which time I made a list of the pros and cons of waiting for a freight train. Cons: worrying about not getting to the bank before it closed (I did make it), forgetting my phone at the office. Pros: reading fun graffiti ("whiskey," "bacon"), subsequently getting ideas for tags, remembering my camera.

Day 67 Crossing

True story: sometimes I can't get to work because there's a train crossing. Not a subway train or any kind of commuter train. Like a train carrying goods... or something. I'm not really sure. But it's old school. I realize this is probably only fascinating and strange to me because I grew up in Hawaii where there are no such trains. Every time I'm stalled behind a line of cars watching this train crawl by I have this "is this real life??" moment. Like... does this really happen in the world? It's just so weird. H'anyway. That's my story. This is the old school (maybe just to me??) Railroad Crossing sign by the tracks, I was finally able to get a picture of it today to share with you all. Choo choooo!

Day 62 is a bit scared

I really, really don't like how the lightrail tracks are so... open... here in Seattle. Maybe it's just me though...? One of my biggest NYC fears was subway tracks. Well, more specifically falling (or being pushed) into them and being crushed by an oncoming speeding train. Gruesome, I know. Whenever I knew a train was coming I'd do a quick check to make sure no one was behind me (so they couldn't push me.... I know. Totally paranoid) and then I'd wait up against the back wall, as far away from the oncoming train as possible until it was in the station. That was my little commuting ritual. And I definitely saw other people doing it too, and it felt nice to know I wasn't alone in my crazy. Here in Seattle the tracks are just... there. I had to walk across two sets of them today to get to the right side of the tracks (ha). There were walk signs and all but still... I was shaking in my boots! Somehow I made it through, but the fear still lives on.