Light Rail Day Trip

For the first time in months, we had nothing written on our calendar for Saturday. It was a nice day, so we decided to introduce the kids to public transportation. After years of debate, planning and construction, the Metro Light Rail finally opened for business the first of this year. It runs from West Mesa to Central Phoenix, spanning about 20 miles total. We live about 10 miles from the starting point in Mesa, so we chose the park and ride option. The parking was ample and free, but the neighborhood is less than desirable. I would be a little leery of it after dark and certainly would not leave any valuables in the car.

So we purchased all day passes for a grand total of $6.25. Adults cost $2.50, Jake cost $1.25, and DB and Sophie were free. (No one ever asked for our tickets, but the $160 fine for not having a ticket seemed to be enough of a deterrent, as it seemed everyone I saw had tickets.) Trains run every 10 minutes or so, and we were fortunate enough to get right on. I was immediately impressed at how clean and quiet the trains were. They were also very crowded, which was just fine for the boys, as standing while in a moving vehicle seemed like a party to them. Sophie and I were offered a seat, but it wasn't long before Sophie started to get jealous of all the fun the boys were having "surfing". She started to wiggle off my lap and wanted to get down with them so she could stand up too. I am sure it seemed too good to be true - first no car seat, then she can stand if she wants? Unfortunately Sophie's joy was short lived.

I made her wait until the train stopped to get down to go stand by Wes. The train doors opened and a couple of Scottish men in their kilts and full Scottish garb got on the train at that stop. (There was a Scottish Festival going on Downtown.) One of the men had what can best be described as a fanny pack or man purse, if you will. And it was actually pretty manly, as it was made from a real wolf head. This unfortunate taxidermied wolf with scary sharp teeth still intact was situated right at Sophie's eye level as she made her way over to Wes. She took one look and made a quick beeline right back to my lap. It was funny, too see the boys reaction to the kilts. Wes had just explained to the boys the concept of it being polite for men to offer seats to women and kids if all the seats are full. Not two seconds later, these men in skirts appear and you could just see the wheels in their heads turning. I watched the boys' faces as they assessed the hairy legs, then the skirt, then a goatee. So confusing for youngsters, those kilts are.


So one of the best parts of public transportation is the chance to people watch. It is good for kids to know that there are all kinds of people in the world, that are different from them. Mesa isn't exactly known for it's diversity so we were not disappointed in our quest to expose them to all kinds of people.

Light rail lacks conveniences such as bathrooms for potty training toddlers, which cut our trip short. We opted for Tempe Beach Park in lieu of any downtown festivals, because the bladder complications and fatigue, but in the end it was a interesting experience. Don't expect to find us on the train next weekend, but I wouldn't discourage anyone of from trying it once. I do recommend Pull Ups for the kids, and maybe even for you, too.

Sleep finally overcomes Sophie while waiting to catch the final leg of our trip.