Adventures in mass transit: destination Long Island

Today we took our first trip using the local transit system. Here's why: Since we've been here, it has been relatively cool. Having the windows open to the breeze has been an effective way to keep the apt comfortable. But the weather predictions for tomorrow (Monday) show temps soaring into the mid-ninetys, with the heat index rising to over 100 degrees. We could handle this (although it will be hot!), but the ferrets don't handle hot weather well. So once we saw the forecast, we decided that we needed an AC unit stat. A couple of friends who live (relatively) nearby had an extra AC sitting in a closet. So today we ventured out to pick it up. Our destination? Long Island.

We started out walking to the local transit hub (Journal Square). We found a place to buy PATH tickets and found the right train. We rode that train to the end of the line--all the way to 33rd street & Broadway. From there, we needed to walk one block west to get to Penn Station. In Penn station, we found the LIRR (Long Island Railroad) and purchased round-trip tickets for the desired destination. Then we rode the LIRR for over an hour to reach our stop. Our friends were kind enough to pick us up from the station with their car. Overall, the trip went okay. It wasn't overly confusing, and now we know a lot more, which will make the next trip even easier. What made this trip complicated was that we were going to pick up a 50 lb AC unit. We discovered a handcart in the basement of our building, so we were able to use that, which made the trip possible. So the whole way there (and while we were trying to find the right station, locate the correct train, etc), Brian was lugging around a heavy handcart. (Yes, we walked through downtown NY with a handcart.) And the whole way back, Brian was managing a handcart with a 50 lb AC unit, while I was carrying a fan (also on loan). I never realized how many stairs are involved in mass transit until today!

The trip was long and tiring (and a bit expensive--I'm glad we didn't decide to move to Long Island and commute from there), but at the end of the day, we met our goal of having an window AC unit in time for the expected heat wave tomorrow. Since we were figuring everything out for the first time (and lugging an AC unit everywhere), the trip took a long time. We left at 12:20 PM and arrived back home around 7PM. We did stay at our friends' house for about 30 minutes, but still, it was a very long trip. We are all trained out for now! Brian did get a chance to preview part of his commute though, since the PATH train we took will be the one he will ride into the city (to either school).