It's that time of year when the countdown to Back-to-School begins. We have just three weeks until Albert goes back to school (Kindergarten!). So I made a list of things that we might do. Some of these are things I had planned in advance, some of these we may not get to at this time but we'll come back to it later when we have more money and time.
beach Zoo Discovery Cube San Fran Central Library Water slides Playdates Getty museum Botanical garden Dodger game Drive-in movie San Diego Santa Barbara
Shampoo rugs Declutter tv stand in Queen suite Declutter closet in Queen suite
Declutter close in King suite Declutter kitchen corner cabinet
CicLAvia the Valley Feb 26, 2023. We biked to it down the Reseda protected bike lanes. Changed a flat tire. Drank champurrado. Albert napped on the bike. Couldn't make it all the way back home. But it was exciting.
Amtrak to Disneyland May 14, 2023. We took the car-free vacation of our dreams. Got on a bus going the wrong direction in 90 degree heat with sleeping babies. Our strollers kept tipping over and spilled our luggage in the street. An IKEA bag was a lifesaver. We got sick of the train on the way home because it struck and killed a person.
Trainfest and Universal Studios September 12, 2023. This was an epic transit and walking adventure. We did train + subway + bus.
CicLAvia mini NoHo September 17, 2023. This was the first CicLAvia we didn't bring bikes to. We walked with a stroller and ate some doughnuts.
Holiday Lights Ride December 17, 2023. We decorated our bikes with a new set of Wheel Brightz. Albert scooted the majority of the ride and we ended up with hot cocoa.
It's been a great year and we are so blessed to have our health, our home, safety and job security.
It's hard to put into words the magical mama's visit I had with my sister and aunt recently. It was just so wonderful that it's hard to describe. It was the first significant get-together that we've had since the pandemic, and it was like an ointment or salve to heal my loneliness and isolation that had overshadowed most of my son's life.
We didn't have an agenda for the parks, but we did way more than either of us thought we might. Baby Evelyn's favorite ride was definitely the Little Mermaid, and we rode it twice without having to get off. It was amazing how the little ones were able to sneak in their naps between strolling and babywearing. We explored some things that were familiar to me and did some new things that I'd never done before, and everything was frosted with nostalgia.
We got Genie+ for our second park day and used it for Haunted Mansion and Small World, and it might seem insignificant, but it helped us skip many lines, especially in the afternoon. The parade was so great we both wept for its beauty. I don't want to minimize the whole experience by listing how much everything costs, but I am curious because I want to budget for the rest of the month and next month, and the month after that, haha. Summer is here, and I am trying to plan what we will do to stay busy, keep learning, and incorporate arts and crafts into our daily routines.
5/12 - airport pick-up, lunch, last lab ($5 for parking, $103 groceries)
I really do think we balanced low or no-cost stuff with pricey experiences. We also balanced gogo days with nogo days. For example, we kept everything simple the first two days (Friday and Saturday) and stayed home. It was our Mother's Day to spend with our kiddos at home. Then the next three days (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday), we got caught up in go-go-go and nearly outdid ourselves. After returning home, we had a couple of chill days (Wednesday and Thursday), where we stayed home and did some cooking, cleaning, and domestic stuff.
The tie-dye was fun, relaxing, and also exhausting but memorable. We were chatting and tying in my garden, which I loved because I love spending time out there. I put in some flowers just to make the space colorful and inviting. It was like a Mother's Day gift to myself to make that space exactly what I wanted it to be for us to enjoy it. Everyone agreed the beach day was a fantastic idea (Friday). Good thing my ladies are all big fans of sunscreen, and I don't think anyone got burned the whole trip! We had a brunch on Saturday to send our aunt off with a full belly.
We really enjoyed all the flowers, trees, bushes, grass, and everything around us as inspiration for the painting with a twist at home. Over the weekend, my husband was helpful in watching the kiddo so that we could do a girls' trip to IKEA and a thrift store (Saturday and Sunday) and finish up our wishing well princess paintings. It was very fun to do yoga in the park, although my sister did the entire flow with a baby napping strapped to her body. We didn't make it out to any Fit4Mom workouts, but that's how it goes sometimes. I'll get back to it tomorrow...FriYay!
Finally, we packed on Monday and did another Disney trip to pick up some souvenirs. It was fun to try to fit in everything we didn't get to do, like corndogs, churros, Mickey cupcakes, popcorn, dole whips, and beignets. We didn't get to everything, but what we tasted was 100% worth the extra trip. We enjoyed different areas of downtown Disney, the Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian, and the Pixar Pier Hotel. Again, we did some things I had only heard about but didn't know how to do, so it's always good to do reconnaissance.
I'm already looking forward to our Nebraska trip to visit with Albert's cousins and grandparents, which will be coming up here in about a month.
This summer I am taking two long-distance trips on Amtrak: Empire Builder and Southwest Chief. I took a plane from Los Angeles to Portland and the Amtrak from Portland to Fargo. My sister sold her house there and I spent a week with her, helping her move.
When I arrived at Portland airport, I boarded the light rail there to get to the Amtrak station. The light rail (MAX) in Portland was easy to navigate.
The Portland Amtrak station is totally cute! There are bikeshare bikes there (and probably in most major cities by now) but the Portland bikeshare bikes are branded with a Nike swoosh.
Empire Builder simultaneously originates in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR in the late afternoon. The individual trains merge in Spokane, WA in the middle of the night. Fresh air stops like this allow you to disembark and stretch your legs. Have a coke, smoke and a joke as my art teacher used to say.
There's a dining car, which is kind of like a restaurant on wheels. There's a cafe car, which is kind of like a coffee shop on wheels. Above the cafe is the observation car, which has floor to ceiling windows. When people gawk at how much time it takes to get somewhere by train, I show them this.
The next fresh air stop is Whitefish, MT which is the following morning. From there, expect breathtaking views of Glacier National Park. I saw lots of people white water rafting and I have to say the smells of the people boarding the train here were more fresh & clean than any detergent.
I met a white water rafting guide who talked me through some of the sights. He pointed out tiny waterfalls and docks where native people fish for salmon using traditional fishing poles made of wood. You get to have great conversations with strangers on Amtrak trips.
Abruptly, you are in a flat part of Montana. Two fresh air stops, Shelby and Havre, may be cut short if the train is running behind schedule. Havre has an antique steam engine at its station, which is an impressive display, particularly popular with train enthusiasts.
Grab those handrails when moving through the train. We will be traveling at 79 mph along the Highline through eastern Montana and across North Dakota. #EmpireBuilderpic.twitter.com/hnVUzFa8rZ
In my experience, the dining car is first-come first-served. If you want to be served a sit-down meal in a formal setting, you need to get there right when the meal begins and let them know you will be 'dining' and they will schedule you a time to come back and be seated.
I would not expect the staff to ask you if you want a seated meal, there were a few unhappy 'sleeper car' passengers that missed out on a seated meal because they thought their porter would assist in making their reservation. Nonetheless, they got a hot meal from the cafe car.
As for myself, I brought a variety of items listed below so that I didn't have to partake of the dining car on this particular trip. I highly recommend taking Empire Builder if you get a chance. I saw a couple with loaded touring bikes at the Glacier Park station, and I thought 'I would like to try that.'
This is what I brought in a cooler
*2 bags (florets) broccoli
*1 bag (8oz) mushrooms
*8 C honeydew melon
*1 bag (2C) mixed nuts
*1 bag (30) dried apricots
*1 bag (8) small pancakes
*1 bag (4oz) beef jerky
*1 flat cake (900g) banana bread
*3 medium yellow nectarines
*Empty ziploc for ice
*Cooler bag
*Empty water bottle
This is what I purchased at the station or on the train
*2 cans soda
*1 bag each: combos, gardettos
*2 cups coffee: $2 each
*1 tuna sandwich on wheat
*1 Greek yogurt cup: $2.50
The last few weeks have been busy! I'm feeling like I've reached the slide into finals week. Or maybe I'm still in push towards finals week. Either way April has been blossoming with activity. I'll be participating in a summer eLearning institute to address achievement gaps in CHEM 100, so I've been gearing up for that. On a related note, this upcoming week, I'm having training on TopHat.
I wanted to share a few experiences I've had with attending conferences on my bicycle, using the network of trains and buses that weaves a web throughout Southern California.
On Friday, November 4, 2016 I attended the ALEKS Chemistry Symposium in Irvine, CA.
On Thursday, November 3rd I took the Ventura County Line Metrolink train #150 from Northridge to LA Union Station and transferred to the Orange County Line train #606 to the Irvine Station for $10.75. Then I biked less than 3 miles to the La Quinta Inn and Suites.
It’s not that often that you can say you’ve stayed at a hotel listed under the National Registry of Historical Sites. Rooms are former lima bean silos and have a hexagonal shape. I stayed two nights for $217.78. Due to the concrete walls, the rooms are super-quiet even though the hotel is right next to the train tracks.
The conference went great, ALEKS employees that ride bicycles had a storage "under-the-stairs" area where there were already a few bikes and a few tools. It was hospitable and secure. It's always nerve-wracking taking your bicycle to a new place, not knowing if there will be bike racks outside or a safe place to lock-up. When you can bring your bike inside, it's always a great thing!
This last photo shows all the modes of transportation I used on that trip. (1) sweet bike lanes (2) nice sidewalks (3) convenient bus service. Traveling without a car is even easier when you can use Google Maps and other transit apps to buy tickets and access schedules to predict exactly when your next train or bus will arrive. There were about 20 people at the conference.
After the conference ended, I took an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train from Irvine all the way straight to Glendale for $19. They have roll-on service for bicycles, but you must make a reservation to let the conductor know you are bringing your bike on board.
On Friday, March 3, 2017 I attended the 1st Annual Collaborative Chemistry Conference in Oxnard, CA.
After work on Thursday, I jumped on Metrolink Ventura County Line train #119 from Northridge out to Oxnard for $11.50. There was a group of commuters playing some kind of card game on their phones. One lady was celebrating her 20 year work anniversary. It's always a party on the bike car!
I stayed at the Flamingo Motel. It was not too fancy, not too expensive ($65). It was a short (0.5 mile) bike ride from the Oxnard Transit Center. The great thing is that there was a taco truck parked next door with fresh, hot food. The cable and wireless internet were fantastic, and the shower had great water pressure. It was quiet and I got about 10 hours of sleep!
To get from the Oxnard downtown area to the conference location, it was about a 6 mile bike ride. I left my hotel at ten minutes to 8am. Checking out of the Flamingo was easy. Google Maps gave me turn-by-turn directions for a scenic ride through Oxnard along mostly bike lanes. There was only one small climb, and the view was so fantastic I had to stop and take a photo.
I arrived at the conference location, Channel Islands Boating Center at 3880 Bluefin Cir, right on time for the continental breakfast. We got a swag bag from Cengage, which was awesome. The lunch was sponsored by Pearson. In total, about 30 people attended the conference. Again, I was able to bring my bike inside the conference room, it was a great conversation starter.
After the conference ended, I biked the 6 miles back to the Oxnard Transit Center again along mostly bike lanes. Although a few people shouted out their window, what I choose to believe are encouraging remarks, it was a safe and scenic bike ride. The Oxnard Transit Center (like the Irvine station) has a great waiting room. There are restrooms, benches, tables, and a cafe.
I recommend taking public transportation to conferences. It is a liberating experience.
I'm preparing to attend the 253rd American Chemical Society National Meeting in San Francisco. I'm presenting a poster entitled "Comparison of adaptive and traditional online homework systems in a preparatory chemistry course" CHED 157. The poster session will be from 7:00-9:00pm on Sunday, April 2nd in Hall A - Moscone Center.
Instead of taking my bike on a train, I'm taking an overnight Greyhound bus. It's a bit crazy, since I'm going up there on Saturday night (schedule 6862), presenting on Sunday, then coming back Sunday night (schedule 6849). The transportation cost is $85. The Greyhound operates these express buses that only make 4 stops: LA --> Avenal --> Oakland --> SF. The Avenal stop is 40 minutes, allowing passengers to get food.
It will be nice not to have to worry about locking my bike somewhere, no getting the bike on and off a bus or train. I'm looking forward to using my new Cotopaxi Luzon 18L Daypack. I'm going to make some progress on the billion step challenge by doing more walking. I'm definitely bringing a neck pillow and possibly some noise-canceling headphones to make sure I can sleep on the bus.
The Los Angeles Greyhound Bus Station is a 2 mile walk from Los Angeles Union Station (even though you would think they would be in the same location). Then from the San Francisco Greyhound Bus Station it's less than 1 mile walk to the Moscone Center. After presenting my poster, I'll have an hour to walk back to catch my bus to LA, arriving at 5:30am. Then at 6:51am I'll catch our normal train, Metrolink Ventura County Line Train #101 in order to arrive at CSUN to teach my class at 9:30am. I'll let you know how it goes.
Plan to take advantage of the opportunity to ride Metro Gold Line between South Pasadena and Azusa. I'll be in my Bikecar101 T-shirt leading the feeder ride from Glendale.
We had a wonderful 5-day (4-night) vacation in Grover Beach this New Year's. My panniers weighed about 26 pounds. The raingear was not used, but rain was in the forecast so it was good we had it just in case. The most valuable items were the windbreaker, yoga pants, and a zip-up hoodie.
It was easy to catch the Amtrak from Glendale. The Holiday Inn Express provided continental breakfast, of which we used to make lunches of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. This helped keep the cost of our trip low. Our walks and bicycle rides were completely free. We considered seeing a movie, but there wasn't anything we could agree upon.
I am providing our modest itinerary and detailed packing list for our own documentation, but also I would hope it would help you consider what you would bring if you had to carry everything. There are things I missed, but I used everything I brought. It felt really good to simplify our lives if only for a week.
It was really fun to be able to take the bus. The 5-cities transit was awesome! We bought a $5 all-day pass for the day we went to San Luis Obispo, since we took two different bus lines. Even though we were early for the bus (which runs only once per hour) we took the opportunity to do some "Bus Stop Calisthenics." Analogous to my favorite passtime, "Train Yoga." When you consider the urban landscape one big playground for adults, and stop caring what people think, life can be more fun!
Itinerary
Day 1: Fri. Dec. 30
Boarded train at 3:17pm Arrived at 7:54pm Biked to hotel Dinner at Carl's Jr
Day 2: Sat. Dec. 31
Bike ride to Grover Beach beachfront Viewing of Monarch Grove Bike tour of Pismo Beach downtown Walk to 5 Cities Center, Branch Street Bus ride back to K Mart Dinner at AJ Spurs
Day 3: Sun. Jan. 1
Bike ride to Avila Beach Walk to Grand Avenue Dinner at Round Table Pizza
Day 4: Mon. Jan. 2
Bus ride to San Luis Obispo Tour of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Shopping at Phoenix Books
Day 5: Tue. Jan. 3
Lunch at Station Grill Boarded train at 1:55pm Arrived at 6:50pm Biked home
We got our Smart Car in August 2011. Since then, we've taken it on many trips. We've had to do little things to maintain the car in the last year, such as brakes ($427.69) and new tires ($647.35). These we have had done at Boulevard Auto Repair in Van Nuys. We get regular service (e.g. oil changes) here at Glendale Lube Center.
In academic years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, I was driving 80 miles per weekday! I'm so glad I don't have to do that anymore. We got rid of our 2nd car in February of 2015 and thank goodness for that. I overheard two people discussing the Public Transit Subsidy Program at CSUN, specifically in regards to Metrolink.
CSUN employees who opt to use the bus, rail, or train to campus may be eligible for a discount of up to 60% off the cost of the monthly transit pass. The total monthly discount will not exceed $100.
One person was explaining to the other that the discount really starts to pay off when you become a single-car family. Now we drive when we have to (or want to) but if we don't want to drive, we take the Metrolink train with our bicycles.
April 2015 we got the rack, June 2015 we got the bike (Fuji)
Free2Go Bike Rack (#FREE2GO) $109.00 + $15.00 via Flat Rate USA = $124.00
Becoming a single-car household wasn't without its challenges. We had a bike rack for our old 4-door Honda Civic, but we needed a way to transport at least one bicycle in the case of an emergency. The first rack we purchased is the Free2Go. As long as your bike weighs less than 45 pounds, this rack will work. In fact, it's even my preferred rack for transporting our beach cruiser bike, due to the shape of its frame. At around 2 pounds, the Free2Go bike rack can even be slipped into your messenger bag or backpack if you are driving a rented SmartCar. The car-sharing company car2go operates in 9 US cities, including San Diego, but not yet in Los Angeles.
October 2015 we got the bike (Fix-D), October 2016 we got the rack
This year, we upgraded our carrying capacity with a 3-bike rack, which is kind of ironic since we have a 2-passenger car. It was pretty expensive to get the hitch installed, but we finally got the car paid off so it seemed like the right time to start making modifications (spending the money we would have put into a car payment). We're considering where to take this rack. So far, we've used it to go out to Riverside and over to the LA River Bike Path with out-of-town guests. At 20 pounds, the Thule rack can be installed by one female (me) solo. It has a load-capacity of 110 pounds.
I'm not wild about the Los Angeles car culture, but there are still some remote areas that are not well-served by public transportation (e.g. Point Mugu) where we would like to camp and bring our bicycles. I'm still not totally sure what we're doing over the winter break, but it will most likely involve our new bike rack. Even though we have a really tiny house, we both fantasize about the next bicycles we want to buy.
Having taken a bike on Friday afternoon, a car on Friday night, and a walk to the bus on Saturday (both ways), we knew we had to take a train on Sunday. Luckily, it was a CicLAvia (open street) weekend in Downtown LA and we got to ride bicycles from Glendale to MacArthur Park with an awesome group of people.
Since we had spent the majority of the weekend talking about bike advocacy, we cut our CicLAvia experience short and caught the early train back to Glendale.
The nice thing about catching Metrolink is that it is a short 10-12 minute train ride back to Glendale and then a 10-12 minute bike ride back to our house.
Metrolink monthly pass holders (like us) can ride the train system (bus and light rail, too) for free on weekends. Non-monthly pass holders have access to the entire system by purchasing a $10 weekend pass. There is now an app that you can use to purchase your Metrolink pass virtually, in case your trip starts with a bus instead of starting at the Metrolink station (like we did). Screenshots from the Metrolink app are shown side-by-side below.
Remember, your bus pass will not get you on the light rail. Nor will your light rail pass get you onto the Metrolink train. But a Metrolink ticket will get you on the bus and light rail.
Last, but not least, if you're going for a short trip, your one-way ticket on Metrolink will be cheaper than a Day Pass. But if you're traveling a long way (Lancaster to LA Union Station, which costs $11.50 one way) then the Day Pass will be cheaper even if you're not returning on that day to your original destination. The app makes it easier to comparison shop on your own schedule, without having to mess around with the ticket vending machine (TVM) at the actual train depot.
There is an agreement between Amtrak and the Glendale Beeline and several other bus providers for free transfers, but LA Metro buses only offer a discount to Amtrak passengers, according to Fox 5 News San Diego. If you do take Amtrak, you must call and make a bike reservation (800-USA-RAIL). Roll-on service is possible on the Pacific Surfliner AND the Coast Starlight. I guess Amtrak also has a mobile app, but I don't have experience with it yet.
Also, I learned that a Metro TAP card is how you use Metro Bike Share, but I haven't tried it myself yet. Have you?
