Getting Around

For those of you who, like me, are carless in this big city, getting around means public transit. I did an exercise in my Literary Journalism class the other day where I was required to make an inventory of every single item I had on my person, right down to the nickel. My professor, the fabulous Dr. Jenny Spinner, then asked the class to share the item we had in our possession that said something about us as a person.

My item of significance was my collection of public transit stubs and tokens. In my wallet, I had an Amtrak stub from a recent trip home to Maryland and several SEPTA tokens from my various downtown and suburban travels on the 44 bus. On my key ring, I had my PhillyCarShare (http://www.phillycarshare.org/) clicker.

Dr. Spinner commented that I was a public transportation queen, and I suppose I am by default.

The car my sister and I share sometimes is at my parents home in Maryland for most of the year, so I signed up for PhillyCarShare a few months ago.

My first trip in a vehicle I picked up from their brand new Overbrook Rail Station pod was excellent- the Priuses that make up most of their fleet of vehicles are zippy, fun to drive, and right in line with the whole "going green" movement that has taken Philly by storm.

PhillyCarShare also has a discount program for its members- for those of you not familiar with PhillyCarShare, it's a program where you can rent cars for cheap on an hourly basis- you pick up the car from a "pod" located at different places throughout the city and 'burbs, and take it out for the appointed time. It was started by seven Philadelphians, and the company is expanding rapidly. Flexcar also does the same thing, but their "pods" seem to be more prevalent in Center City.

Happily, as a Student Advantage Cardholder, I am entitled to several discounts when it comes to getting around. Amtrak offers 15% off rail fares with your Student Advantage Card when you book at least three days in advance.

With my last roundtrip fare home to Maryland running around $100, the $20 card is well worth it and pays for itself in a few trips. Get one for yourself at studentadvantage.com

In Philly, you can get 15% off walk-up fares at Greyhound (online, too, for you organized folks.)
Oh....and they also offer about 20,000 other discounts beyond transit, including 10% off at the ever popular urbanoutfitters.com...but I'll let you check that out
for yourself....

It's been four years since I moved to Philly, and you would think that I would be a SEPTA at this point, but I've found that I learn something new about SEPTA every day. A few days ago, I stumbled across this super-useful guide published by Steve Spindler, a local cartographer. The guide includes a detailed map of the city that shows SEPTA routes and the streets are color-coded in order of bike-friendliness.

There is also information on local farmers markets, and cycling clubs if you are so interested. I have contacted Steve to find out how to get ahold of one of these maps and I promise to keep you posted. In the mean time, check out http://bikesontransit.org/ and http://www.bikemap.com/ for more info on biking opportunities in and around Philly.