Red Car

New sculpture at Orizaba Park is a replica of the Red Car, a Pacific Electric Railway train that ran from Long Beach to Los Angeles. It was designed by Patrick Vogel and it titled: The Train Has Left the Station. I guess the significance is that where once were train tracks is now a park.

One of the reasons I moved to Long Beach was the excellent public transportation system. I wanted to be able to get around without depending upon a car. It took me until 2001 to find a job in Long Beach (Signal Hill, actually) to realize the dream of living and working in the same town. I loved cars and driving; just wanted to do my bit to lessen country's dependency upon oil.

I never intended not to have a vehicle at all; but it was okay that I did not after I got that job. Saved a bundle of money, just on repairs. My insurance premiums were not all that much, but saved that expense also. I did miss convenience of having a vehicle; no waiting on late bus or train; no stops, along the way; usually getting where ever I was going a lot faster. Now, I do not drive at all; keep license active, just in case there is an emergency situation that requires me to drive someone else's vehicle.