Unlicensed Mother: Enjoy the ride... literally!

A couple of weeks ago, I dropped Bart off at the Red Line station to go to the first USC game of the season. Bug was excited for him, but also had strong feelings about the fact that he wasn't getting on the subway too. Not because he wanted to go to the game, but because we used to go on the Red Line all the time and I would say in the last year, we've been on maybe twice. I'm not proud of this. The subway is actually my favorite mode of public transportation. So, why have we not been on it lately? The biggest reason is that there hasn't been a need to. When we moved from Los Feliz to the Valley, the only thing that we kept in the old neighborhood was the pediatrician. When Bug got sick last year and I had no way of getting him to the doctor but taking public transportation, I found one closer to us. And, that was it. Our last reason to get on the Red Line. So, on that day when he expressed that he wanted to ride it again, I promised him we would. He's now at that very convenient age where he remembers things, so I knew I had to keep my promise. I tried to think of places we could go. Maybe a museum? Lunch? Then, a lightbulb: "Why do we even need to go anywhere? Let's just ride the train!"

I decided that we would take the Red Line to Union Station, then hop on the Gold Line to the South Pasadena Station (a really cute stop that I had always seen, but had never had the time to explore) where we would enjoy a picnic that I packed at home. When I told Bug what we were doing after school that afternoon, he was thrilled. We parked the car at the Universal City Park n Ride (Note: If you choose to do a trip like this in the afternoon, be prepared to drive around for a bit trying to find parking. At this point, most people have parked their cars and won't be back from work for a while. I was lucky to find someone returning early. I stalked her from the entrance out of necessity.) The Red Line is always fun, but the Gold Line was the real treat of the day. MTA has done a fabulous job with it (I used to ride it back in my working days and they were always in the middle of construction. Annoying at the time, but the results are fun to enjoy now!) The day turned out to be relaxing, enjoyable and totally fun.

I'm so proud that he knows when the subway is coming without actually seeing it. It's all in the wind! Something I learned early on in my public transportation days.

Picnic in South Pas.

The adorable South Pasadena.

Just hanging out at the station.

Waiting for the light rail.

Cool sculpture. Bug has been really fascinated by them lately and it was a pleasant surprise that we saw this totally awesome one.

All in all, if you're looking for an inexpensive (Children under 5 ride free, so our day cost $5), fun, educational, and relaxing afternoon, I would highly recommend just taking a ride on the train. In this busy world we live in, just being able to 'enjoy the ride' is a total treat for both parent and kid!

Transit directions to 905 Meridian Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030