For someone who cannot drive, however, these little problems can mean missing something completely rather than just being a little late. For the past five years in Grand Rapids, I have had this negative experience. Now, don't get me wrong. I am grateful for the public transportation available in the GR area, something that allowed me far more independence than before moving to the city. Still, my mornings were beyond hectic. On a typical Sunday, the buses outside of my apartment did not run. I could walk a mile to another bus, which was helpful for some trips. However, these buses ran only once per hour, meaning that being "a little late" turned into an hour late or missing something completely. These buses only ran until 6:00PM as well, making evening services or errands impossible. The other option is to ride a bus for people with disabilities. This was personally my only way to get to church on Sundays in GR, but it also meant working on someone else's schedule. If I was late, I missed my ride.
Enough about the issue! My experience on Sunday was far from this rough time I had before. I decided to visit Park Community Church on the northern side of Chicago. There are six churches that belong to Park, but this one seemed the most accessible. It is also the main church in the organization. I found my route on Google Transit; I would walk or take the bus to Roosevelt Station. Then, I would take the Red Line L train to the station closest to the church. I would hop on another bus on Chicago Avenue that would drop me off about three blocks from the church. This seemed doable, so I started off to church.
When I arrived at Roosevelt, I thought I knew where to go to get on the Red Line. I had been to this station the previous day to ride the Orange Line. I did not realize, however, that the Red Line is actually a subway train. The Orange (and many other lines) are on tracks that go above the roads in Chicago. The Red Line is a subway that goes underground. When I realized my mistake, I followed signs downstairs to the Red Line tracks. This, of course, added a little time to my travels, so I missed my train.
I was disappointed, at first, thinking that I would not make it to church on time. I decided to try anyway, though, and let Google re-plan my route based on a new departure time. There was a bother train in 10 minutes. There were also simple bus connections and made it to church just as the service began! I was amazed that I could miss a train and STILL make it on time. I didn't think much of it, though, until later that evening.
I decided to go to a coffee shop (yes I tried again after my failure the day before...see previous post) and I found a Starbucks that is likely to be my new favorite place in Chicago. It is open 24/7 and is in a cute neighborhood with lots of shops. I took a bus up State Street and caught the Brown Line L train from the Chicago Public Library Station to the station near the shop. I walked just a few blocks to get to the Starbucks. Everything was great, and I got so much work done.
I made the mistake of exiting out of a different door than where I entered, however, when leaving the coffee shop. I only walked a block or two when I realized my mistake, but this added time to my commute. I missed my train. It was about 8:00PM, and it was now dark outside. I felt safe, but I was frustrated, thinking that I might have a problem getting home on a Sunday evening. To my surprise, again, there was a bother train within 15 minutes. I was even able to stop at the store a fw blocks from my apartment to get a few things I needed for my week before returning home!
What might seem like a mundane thing...finding a ride to church, going to the coffee shop I want to go to, getting somewhere on time, or stopping at the store on a Sunday night...these are far beyond mundane for me. I experienced true joy this weekend. It was all about access to new places and experiences. I think I'm gonna like it here. :-)
More to come about my first weeks at Daystar!
