My recent post, iCan I Get It On The Metro Rail,i provoked many interesting comments. One was from BRO Contributor, Jessica Keltz, who, for the past 4 years, has been a UB Law student, living in the Elmwood Village. Her daily needs include transportation to and from classes at UB/North Campus, work at UB/Main St., an internship in downtown Buffalo, and her day-to-day personal life.
With a schedule like that, I canit imagine anyone more knowledgeable in the intricate workings of both the Metro Rail and the city bus systems. So when she suggested that I accompany her one afternoon, I took her up on the offer. We agreed to meet at the University Metro Rail stop on Tuesday at 3:15 PM, rendezvousing upstairs in the station, next to the ticket machines.
OUR MISSION:
Utilizing mass transportation only: to buy 2 birthday presents; one for Jessicais father and another for her friend, Heather. Our destination was Record Theater on Main St at Delevan.
I left my home on Linwood at 2:30 PM. It was a pretty beautiful day, although a bit cold after the spring like weather we had been experiencing. I enjoyed the short walk to the Utica St Metro station and fact that I was actually getting exercise as part of my actual day.
Arriving at 2:42, I got my round trip Metro ticket from the machine ($3), and descended down the stairs towards the platform, noticing the most beautiful bronze sculptures that are attached to the platformis supporting columns. You may not know this, but each Metro station has its own unique design and art. (A future post!)
Reaching the platform, I was one of two people waiting, as a train had just taken off. Soon, two ladies joined us, then an off duty security guard, who carried his bike down the stairs (there are elevators for those that find the stairs/escalators difficult, or if carrying heavy objects). A man in a tricked out mechanized wheelchair cruised by with his smiling mid-sized dog on a leash! They headed to the front of the platform to wait by the bench, where they chatted with the others that also sat and waited.
Although the platform LED information signs said trains arrive every 12 minutes, it seemed more like 4 or 5 minutes. The train was quite full, being 3-ish, the time when schools are beginning to let out. Many people ide-trainedi and there was more than enough room for everyone on the platform to comfortably enter the car, with mostly all finding seats. I noticed 2 NFTA officers on the car I entered.
I arrived at the University stop, the very end of the Metro line. By 2:59, I was waiting for Jessica at the ticket machine, with plenty of time to spare. I took this occasion to check out the NFTA Bus/Rail City Map that was posted on the wall. The map was very interesting, showing the Metro Stops and the connecting bus routes at each stop. It was also fascinating to look at the major cross streets of Buffalo and imagine an expanded east/west Metro Rail link. Delevan or Amherst Sts. seemed to me like a good place to locate one. Each could run from the river and Niagara St to almost Harlem or even Bailey Aves!
The atmosphere in the upper station was pretty calm; one of people waiting for others to join them, or connecting transportation. This everyday scene of people reading or listening to music was interrupted by a small group of young boys, iacting outi for attention by being loud and disturbing. The day was still quite lovely, so I walked outside to wait. What seems like a well kept station on the inside surprised me on the out side by the amount of debris, the grime-coated litter receptacles and sidewalks in need of some attention.
At 3:15, Jessica arrived. We went back down to the outgoing platform. Our next destination was the Record Theater, a short walk from the Delavan Metro station. At Record Theater, we looked at a really interesting selection of discount books (ranging in price from 50 cents to $5), LOTS of CDs and, surprisingly, quite a large selection of vinyl. Many good choices here, but nothing seemed quite right for either of her presents.
We made a new plan and decided to go to Hertel Ave. on the bus and see what we could find there.
A one-way ride on the bus is $1.50. You are able to pay cash with US currency, Metro tokens or use a Metro Card. No change is given, so the exact amount needed is necessary. Hereis where the iwheels kinda fell offi the bus/Metro transfer thing for me. For some reason, if we took the Delavan bus across to Delaware from at the Metro Station, my Metro ticket was good to go, no extra charge. Yet if you decided to walk to Delaware and then take a connecting bus up to Hertel, there was a 15 cent charge, but you could also get a transfer for the Hertel bus.
Confusing? I thought so, but I later found that a quick click on the NFTA web site/ iRiding Metroi gives you all the moves and info to navigate a successful bus trip.
As we waited for the transfer bus at the Delavan Metro Station, Jessica began to explain to me the inner workings of passes, transfers and the izones.i Because she is such a frequent rider of both the Metro Rail and Bus systems, she said she purchases a monthly pass that allows her to use all mass trans with ease. The cost of her monthly icity passi is $55. She then explained that for $65, one could purchase an iall zonei pass that would enable you to go to, say Galleria Mall or other suburban locations. She said the izonei maps were available on line. There are also ispecial ratei passes for seniors, the disabled and Medicare riders ($27.50/City & $33/All Zones).
She also said that bus maps indeed came in very handy and were pretty necessary. She felt that the most important info was the actual bus schedules. Both can be obtained on line. Jessica thought that one was also able to download all of this info onto a PDA.
We continued our journey on the #11/Colvin bus that continued up Delaware to Colvin, taking us to the corner of Hertel & Colvin Aves. where we jumped off, with my transfer in hand.
We walked along to check out The Second Reader Book Shop, one of my faves for quirky ipre ownedi books.i We were greeted by owner Dana and her husband, John. As Jessica made her purchases of 2 vintage magazines for Heather, John shared a charming mass-trans story of his own from when he first arrived in Buffalo to pursue Dana.
I was beginning to lose steam, so we decided to stop for a little something at CafE Allegro, where I had a yummy canolli and Jessica had scrambled egg-on-a-roll. Re-enforced, we continued our journey, heading to Terrapin Station, where we stopped in to say iHi!i and check out their gift selection.
Jessica found the exact perfect Grateful Dead non-tie dyed T-shirt for her father, who is a big fan of the band.
Our mission accomplished, we left the store to find that the perfect but cold day had turned nasty. We walked the couple of blocks along Hertel, dodging big, fluffy snowflakes, to the bus shelter at Delaware & Hertel. I was a bit surprised at the lack of upkeep of the bus shelter. The bus came quite quickly and we rode along Delaware Ave in a beautiful Buffalo spring blizzard to Bryant St. where I thanked Jessica for allowing me to join her on her iBirthday Presenti mission and we said our good-byes.
Although entitled iCritical Mass,i from my point of view, thereis really not that much to be icriticali about! My impression of Buffalois NFTA is mostly a good one. A variety of factors, including downtown residential development, indicate that itis very much in Buffalois interest to maintain, as well as continue to improve upon, this existing system.
Frequency and dependability are KEY factors for any successful mass-trans system. Iim always impressed with how quickly the train or bus appears here in Buffalo. This may be because I usually ride during business & peak hours, and usually along the popular Delaware/Elmwood routes.
The Metro stations all seem safe, clean, well lit and well maintained, although the outside surrounding areas and bus shelters could use some attention.
The bus drivers seem very nice, patient and helpful to someone unfamiliar with their system. I talked to a few fellow riders along todayis route. Most seemed to be like Jessica; regular and frequent riders, purchasing monthly passes, which lessens the confusion and need for transfers and correct change.
Iim not sure if some type of Metro/ Debit Card, as opposed to a costly monthly pass, is currently available. One that could be used for both train and bus, thus avoiding the transfer and correct change issues, would be a very user-friendly idea. I would definitely purchase an occasional $10 card to keep in my wallet for those short trips downtown or use along Elmwood, when saddled with unexpected heavy grocery bags.
The NFTA website is quite comprehensive and many questions. Check it out!
NFTA/ Metro Info
Can I Get It On The Subway?
Bus Culture
The Record Theater
1800 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14208
716.332.3454
The Second Reader Bookshop
1419 Hertel Ave.
716.862.0001
Cafe Allegro
1374 Hertel
716.874.3321
Terrapin Station
1172 Hertel Ave.
716.874.6677