LA By Train: Trip 1

Monday, July 28, 2003, at 07:31AM

By Eric Richardson

This morning found me setting out to make the trip by bike from USC to JPL. If you ask Mapquest, that's a 19.3 mile trip. I'm not going to fill this space with details about the trip, you can click the title to read more there. I will say, though, that one stat towers over all others: 475 feet of elevation change between Pasadena and JPL. After a few months of this my legs will be made of steel.

I left my apartment around 8:12am. The ride up Vermont was uneventful -- I made it to the Vermont/Wilshire station by 8:25. This being my first day, I had to buy a ticket (I'm going to get a monthly pass for August, but don't have that yet obviously), so that took a minute or two. I carried my bike down the stairs to the eastbound platform, and the train came within 30 seconds. The car was full enough that I didn't take a seat (since I needed to also hold onto the bike), but not too full. I complicated my trip a little by getting off at the Civic Center station instead of Union Station, so I ended up spending 5 minutes waiting for the next train. I made Union Station by 8:45.


I easily found my way to Gold Line. The MTA has extra staff everywhere right now, checking tickets and directing people to where they need to be. Since this is a terminus point, the train was there and we sat a few minutes before departing. Going against commute traffic the crowd was small, but people are definitely riding. Southbound trains we passed looked much more full. Sure, it's not going to make a dent on the freeway, but it's still cool, and getting riders here will be huge for spurring the development of future lines.


The Gold Line train probably left Union Station around 8:50. It's not quick, making about ten stops while I'm on it. That said, it is comfortable, and the scenery is better than the freeway. We pulled into the Memorial Park station at 9:15.


This is where the real fun started. First off, I hadn't really figured out directions from the station to JPL. Sure, I glanced at a map, but that'll only get you so far. I definitely didn't take the most direct route, so that added a bit to my time.


What added more to my time, though, was the climb. I mentioned in the intro that the elevation change is 475 feet. That's serious climbing on a bike for someone not in the greatest shape.


With all my misadventures I made it to JPL at 10am, 1:45 after I started. I can attribute at least 15 minutes to getting off at the wrong station and getting confused directionally on my second bike leg, so I'd say 1:30 is a fair time for the way here right now. The way back will be significantly shorter, seeing as it's all downhill. It'll be interesting to see how much time that actually cuts.


All in all, I love it. I feel so much more alive out on a bike and riding a train. Getting in my car and driving to work does nothing to wake me up. Riding a bike for 7.5 miles does. And I also love the idea that I can work on my time, as I get into better shape. You can't really shave too much time off a commute in a car, but the only thing regulating my time right now is the condition of my legs.


Very cool.

The following originally posted as a comment:

Seeing that I work for a group that deals extensively with GPS, I'm going to revise my elevation number to be a little more accurate. My boss pointed me to IGS sites CIT1 and JPLM as reference points. CIT1 is at CalTech, and JPLM is, oddly enough, here at JPL. The log lists CIT1 at 215 meters, and JPLM at 423 meters, for a difference of 208 meters (or 682 feet). Now, JPLM is a little above the rest of the lab, up on the mesa, so I'm going to say right now that this new number is a little high. I would put the difference closer to 190 meters, or 620 feet. A substantial climb.

Another thing I forgot to mention... The thing that bugged me most on the ride in was how sweaty the backpack I was wearing made my back. Within the next few weeks I'll pick up a pair of paniers that'll take care of getting load off my back. I also probably will end up looking for a shirt that holds less moisture. I hate normal bike shirts, but maybe... I'm not wearing the shorts, though. Maybe I could do it on the bike sections, but there's no way I could wear those on the train. I'm just fine in board shorts, thank you.