07.16.08
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Michigan, Transportation, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Great Outdoors, Art at 11:19 am by Tim
My daughter loves taking public transportation. If she can get on a train or a bus, it’s a great day. Yesterday was one of those great days. I picked her up from preschool late in the afternoon and, although it was rush hour, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority buses did a great job getting us around town, and we made our connections with relative ease. AATA, aka “The Ride,” will be especially busy this week, with the Ann Arbor Art Fairs running full blast now through Saturday. AATA is running shuttle service to the event, so please take advantage, as you’ll save gas, and save yourself plenty of parking headaches. I plan to do just that not only during the fairs, but have made a promise to myself and to my daughter that, from now on, we’ll use this splendid bus service regularly.
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06.30.08
Posted in Environment, Transportation, Travel at 2:46 pm by Tim
My wife, daughter, and I not only had a great time in Chicago for three days last week, we found a new way to make the journey: Megabus.com. Featuring “low cost daily express bus service in the US and Canada,” Megabus was a suggestion of my wife’s cousin, and a most pleasant surprise. The outbound trip from Ann Arbor, Michigan was fast (under five hours, including two brief rest stops) and, even though we were picked up for the return trip an hour late (in front of Union Station), we still got home a mere 15 minutes over schedule.
I had no idea we’d see movies — Air Force One and The Core, the former of which I’d have preferred my 4-year-old not be subjected, as it’s way too violent for kids — on drop-down screens during the trip into Chicago, but it did while away the time for many passengers. Overall, we were happy to not have to drive ourselves, and the round trip ticket price for the three of us was reasonable at $144.50. Not a whole lot more, frankly, than we’d have spent on gas, and we didn’t have to find a place to park in the city. Better still, we shared the ride on a packed double-deck vehicle, obviously better for the environment. I suspect Megabus and other services will see plenty more business in coming months and years, especially if current trends continue. Next time we travel to Cincinnati, another one of the many cities Megabus serves in the Midwest and around the country, we’re likely to book with them again. Much better than the “foreclosure bus tours” that I referenced in these pages earlier this month.
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03.27.08
Posted in Business, Technology, Michigan, Environment, Transportation, Detroit, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti at 7:44 pm by Tim
A friend and I used to joke about how you could get arrested in Michigan for saying ‘mass’ and ‘transit’ in the same sentence. But it’s an issue that, no pun intended, is gaining momentum in this state. Nettie Boivin of Mi Life Mi Times offers an insightful article on the topic, one deserving not only of further discussion but, more importantly, immediate action. In January, Metromode tendered a piece on an aspect near and dear to me: The Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line. I’ve been banging that drum for some time, as the days when Detroit is separated from Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, both physically and psychologically, are long gone, no matter what certain residents of either region may think. Let’s get moving on this, folks. Do it for the planet and for your kids.
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