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| http://subwaynut.com/cleveland/ |
THE GOOD
The first observation I had about the system was before I even got to the city- Google maps showed me exactly how extensive Cleveland public transportation is. I was actually a little jealous because I think it's a system quite a bit more advanced that the one in place here in Pittsburgh. It was very easy to get around the city as far as routes go, and I never had to walk further than a block or two to get back to a subway station. Every employee I encountered was also very helpful and friendly- even when I called in to the customer service line a little annoyed and frustrated with my transportation situation. The subway stations themselves were very clean and artistically designed well. And, my all day pass was $5.00- quite a bargain! Very scenic rides, and there weren't any problems with crazy or rude passengers
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| http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_mel/4899698815/ North Coast Station, near the Rock and Roll HOF and Browns Stadium |
First and foremost, every rail car I stepped on smelled faintly of pee. As in urine. As in "OMG did I pee on myself and I don't even know it?" I'm not sure what the fix of that is, but I was pretty grossed out by that. Also, The stairwell at W.25-Ohio City Station was extremely narrow for the elevator to not work properly. Keep in mind, it was towards the end of my day by the time I interacted with this station, but anyone with eyeballs can see that teeny staircase isn't really big enough to be two ways. Also, for this to be "rapid" transit, the trains I was on often took breaks and stops on the tracks and didn't seem to be moving very fast at all. I found that really ironic. It was also a little difficult to figure out where to go once you are in the system. At Tower City, signage explaining how to get to major Cleveland attractions would have been helpful. Yes, the people at the information desks were polite and informed, but sometimes a sign with an arrow works even better.
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| http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_25th_Cleveland_RTA_station.jpg RTA Station closest to Sokolowski's |
THE UGLY
So, let's discuss the fact that many of the stations in RTA (but not all) look like really cool geometric green houses. Cool right? Actually, the complete and total opposite. While I'm sure it helps for harsh lake side winters, in 90 degree weather, standing inside a giant metal and glass box is the exact opposite of something you ever want to actually do. Can there be a better ventilation system? A fan? Something? Speaking of greenhouse stations, the North Coast station was COMPLETELY abandoned the day I went there. I mean NO ONE was there-- not employees, no passengers, no anyone except me feeling foolish and a little worried that maybe I had stumbled across a condemned station or something. That's when I called the customer service line to make sure I was where I was supposed to be (I was). But I mean, that's a pretty scary thing to have an entire station with no one there to help or answer questions. Not even a fare machine! And the worst part was how tardy all the trains ran the day I came to visit. I plan my trips based on precise schedules, with only a few back up plans, because I expect transportation to run reasonably on time. At one point, the train I was waiting for was nearly 20 minutes late. Twenty minutes isn't a lot in the grand scheme of life, but just 5 minutes can make the difference between being on time or making a connection, and being stuck someplace you are trying to leave.
My advice? Go ahead and take the RTA. Just leave plenty of wiggle room on your trips, and bring a bottle of water to counteract all the sweating you're going to do.
