晚飯後已是九時多，有人提議在3rd Street附近shopping；我提出
時候不早，大概要想甚麼時後回程，其中一位新加坡學生竟卻說：
Don't worry, we'll eventually get back. 似乎大家都沒有時間觀念，
完全沒有在意這兒是美國，不是香港和新加坡，不是一天24小時都
一定有公共交通工具，況且Santa Monica和Pasadena距離超過20mi
（32公里），交通需時；大家都不明白沒有車搭的後果如何。因為
時候不早，返回Pasadena需時近兩小時，我今天又要工作，於是
就和一位印度IIT的學生一起先走，找車搭回Pasadena。
那印度學生卻自以為自己知道720號巴士的車站在哪，帶我在Santa
Monica街頭遊了許久花園；我說，let's ask someone，他卻搖搖手
道，no need, we'll be able to find it，跟著我說，現在已經是九點多；
他卻說，現在只不過是九點多，距離十二點還有接近三小時，還有
時間。天啊！他似乎不知道Gold line的尾班車11:56pm就開出。
之後我們走到某條大街，看見有Metro 4及704的站牌，704寫著到
LA Union Station，理論上只要能到Union Station就能轉乘Gold line，
於是他就扯著我，說，不如等這個。
幸而我醒目，料到可能有巴士早收車，於是兩分鐘後，一輛4號線 掛接巴士到站，我立刻截車，走上前問車長，704還有沒有提供 服務，那印度學生還扯著我，說，no need, we just wait for the 704. There are so many cars out here, it won't be off service that quick. 結果那車長串串地說，if you wait for the 704 you wait till the next morning.
Just a side note: if you go to Santa Monica next time, you may consider to take Santa Monica Big Blue bus Express 10 at Union Station instead of Red Line and 720, which save you roughly half hour one way.
haha, in Seattle, there are more and more Hk student coming over to study, however, alot of them don't even know how the bus system works, Alot of King County Metrobus route doesn't even have a starting point or end point (ie: R 17-> R 132-> another short route). Most local knows about the route structure but alot of international student doesn't, and if they somehow zzz through their route, then they are in big trouble. Cause it will be quite hard for them to find their way back. I have a few cases that i know of the HK student was stranded at the bus station and have to zzz for a night there, because he missed the last bus and there are no night owl route pass through. (BTW, normal local Seattlelite will not ride the night own, cause 99% of the rider are homeless and sleep in the bus).
BTW, taxi here is quite expensive and hard to come by so most people i know own a car.
原帖由 lv6 於 2008-7-14 12:27 發表
Just a side note: if you go to Santa Monica next time, you may consider to take Santa Monica Big Blue bus Express 10 at Union Station instead of Red Line and 720, which save you roughly half hour one ...
In fact, that IIT student had been searching through the Big Blue bus stops looking for Metro Rapid 720 (there are lots of Blue stops in that area), without realizing that Big Blue and Metro are two different operators, even after I told him that. Plus, both of us had Metro day passes given to us by the institute we're now staying at, and we didn't want to waste the money.
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