Well, not a real rocket, “the” rocket. The TTC. I caved. There were just too many rainy days in October. My bike is now hibernating for winter. It will wake up in the spring when my eyeballs don’t freeze while biking.
I bought a post-secondary student Metropass. It was $99 plus the $5 and change for a student ID card. Once the weather started to get cold and wet and biking was no langer an option, I had been attemping to drive to school. Between free street parking and pay and display parking in lots on campus, I was spending $12 more per week than what a metropass would cost. I had no choice; I had to start riding the rocket. (A side note: I am pretty sure the rocket I rode with my son last month, at the fall fair, was faster than the TTC’s rocket most days.)
You might be expecting this post to be about my various issues with the TTC. But you would be wrong. I actually love my Metropass! At first, I begrudgingly accepted my fate as a rider instead of a biker or a driver. But once I realized in my frugality that I was holding a “get out of trudging across Queens Park with my ten pound backpack pass”, my entire mindset changed. I am well aware of the fact that I may or may not gain an inexcusable amount of weight in the time between now and when my bike will be woken up from its long winters sleep.
Yet I persist. I ride the TTC everywhere now. I used to walk across Queens Park to get to my classes on the west side of campus. I now take the subway north to St. George. When I am down on Spadina and I need to get over to my college on St. George, I don’t walk. I take the streetcar north to Spadina station and the travel the one stop to St. George. My schedule has been blown wide open. Gone are the days of being confined to the east side of campus all morning to avoid having to walk all the way back two hours later. Now I commute around campus. I can finish class at Alumni hall, be at Robarts five minutes later, and be back to Kelly Library in another five minutes. And it doesn’t even matter if it’s raining! I am nice and dry in my subterranean tubular student delivery vehicle. Although all this might be interpreted as pure laziness, let me assure you it is not. Every time I swipe my post-secondary student Metropass, I am letting the TTC know that Lori is riding the rocket at a reduced rate and is loving it! I am singlehandedly increasing ridership one stop at a time. I rode the TTC five times on Wednesday.
I don’t have a lot of extra cash and I spent one hundred dollars on my Metropass. I swear I will squeak every last dollar out of this pass. I will ride every available streetcar, bus, and subway that I am capable of riding. Nay, this is not laziness my fellow students. This is a mission!
Metropasses for November are now on sale. Find out more.
-Lori
Well, not a real rocket, “the” rocket. The TTC. I caved. There were just too many rainy days in October. My bike is now hibernating for winter. It will wake up in the spring when my eyeballs don’t freeze while biking.
I bought a post-secondary student Metropass. It was $99 plus the $5 and change for a student ID card. Once the weather started to get cold and wet and biking was no langer an option, I had been attemping to drive to school. Between free street parking and pay and display parking in lots on campus, I was spending $12 more per week than what a metropass would cost. I had no choice; I had to start riding the rocket. (A side note: I am pretty sure the rocket I rode with my son last month, at the fall fair, was faster than the TTC’s rocket most days.)
You might be expecting this post to be about my various issues with the TTC. But you would be wrong. I actually love my Metropass! At first, I begrudgingly accepted my fate as a rider instead of a biker or a driver. But once I realized in my frugality that I was holding a “get out of trudging across Queens Park with my ten pound backpack pass”, my entire mindset changed. I am well aware of the fact that I may or may not gain an inexcusable amount of weight in the time between now and when my bike will be woken up from its long winters sleep.
Yet I persist. I ride the TTC everywhere now. I used to walk across Queens Park to get to my classes on the west side of campus. I now take the subway north to St. George. When I am down on Spadina and I need to get over to my college on St. George, I don’t walk. I take the streetcar north to Spadina station and the travel the one stop to St. George. My schedule has been blown wide open. Gone are the days of being confined to the east side of campus all morning to avoid having to walk all the way back two hours later. Now I commute around campus. I can finish class at Alumni hall, be at Robarts five minutes later, and be back to Kelly Library in another five minutes. And it doesn’t even matter if it’s raining! I am nice and dry in my subterranean tubular student delivery vehicle. Although all this might be interpreted as pure laziness, let me assure you it is not. Every time I swipe my post-secondary student Metropass, I am letting the TTC know that Lori is riding the rocket at a reduced rate and is loving it! I am singlehandedly increasing ridership one stop at a time. I rode the TTC five times on Wednesday.
I don’t have a lot of extra cash and I spent one hundred dollars on my Metropass. I swear I will squeak every last dollar out of this pass. I will ride every available streetcar, bus, and subway that I am capable of riding. Nay, this is not laziness my fellow students. This is a mission!
Metropasses for November are now on sale. Find out more.
-Lori
“I don’t have a lot of extra cash and I spent one hundred dollars on my Metropass. I swear I will squeak every last dollar out of this pass.”
That made me laugh so hard. As a fellow commuter, I totally understand this mindset. Thanks for the post!
Thanks for the comment Diane! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s funny but it’s true. If you’ve paid for a Metropass it is really hard to then justify paying for parking or a cab-ride. I can’t even justify walking now that I have a Metropass!
This is hilarious. I totally understand, being a commuter. I take the ttc everyday, even to work which is a short two stops away from home. Many people will remark, “why not just walk!?”, but why walk when you can leave five to ten minutes later with your metropass?
Thanks for the post, I’m glad someone else sees it as an issue of time and money rather than laziness.
Indeed Cass! We are of the same opinion. It’s not laziness, it’s just smart!