I like commuting here in the US as much as I like driving to work. I remember doing so back in the Philippines it always was a constant struggle for some space and standing shoulder to shoulder inside the bus or LRT, so tight that not even an ant can pass between the bodies. No doubt, every perverts' dream and every female passengers' nightmare too.

Entrance of train station. Size and appearance for each differ in every location. Station on left side is just about 2 blocks from where I live. Station on right is where I get off to board the bus.

Here in Chicago commuting to work would be, to use a filipino colloquial term (Tom pronounces it as koLOKweel), 3 "rides" for me. A 15-20 minute 7 mile drive in the car would take me 45 minutes to an hour by train/bus. It's not the travel time (20 minutes total) but the waiting that makes it considerably longer. Moreso on winter. 10 minutes wait at the bus stop would seem like an eternity.

Left: Bird's eyeview of the trains going to different directions. Seen from the walkway. Right: Sometimes I would cross this walkway to get on the other side when changing trains. I dare not do so during winter though, I might be blown off by the strong gusts of wind.

What I like most about commuting here is that the train is hardly crowded. You are always assured that there is enough room for the passengers to breath as soon as they step inside the train. Yes, sometimes during rush hours we stand, but it sure beats hanging on to the edge of the jeepney's seat with just one cheek of our derriere giving our thighs the same workout as the Stairmasters.

Left: For me the bus ride is more complicated since they only come every 20 minutes so it can be frustrating to miss it by a few seconds. Our trains come every 8 minutes. Right: Many would do away with taking the bus. They bring their cars to the station and park there the whole day. Parking fee is $2.00

In Chicagoland you can relatively go anywhere by commuting via train and bus. But it is not surprising that not a lot of the locals know how to commute. Ask them a question of how to get around, most couldn't tell you how. This is where the internet comes in. In my case, I just log on to www.yourCTA.com and everything I need to know about train, bus schedules and location/stops are there among others. They even have a trip planner which will tell you what the best route to take to your desired destination.

My first time going to the office I had to take a taxi for the interview (it was -2F temperature too). I wasn't too happy with having to shell out $20+ excluding the tip (yes, they tip taxi drivers here) going and coming back to our condo. So I did a research and was ecstatic to find out that a bus actually stops in front of our building. I now only have to spend $4.00 everytime I had to commute.

That's still P200+ in pesoses though. Well, that's america for you. You earn in dollars and you spend in dollars.

Inside the bus. Yes, there's just only me and sometimes a couple more passengers. This is the usual scenario in the mornings.

Currently listening to: Tom's jazz on the radio
Currently reading: The Last Temptation Of Christ
Currently watching: Sideways