Riding the Cincinnati Metro (SORTA)

I've made a few jokes about SORTA (Southwest Ohio Regional Transportation Authority). It sorta goes where you want. It's sorta on time.

I'm frustrated about the lack of public transportation in Cincinnati. For a relatively small city, we have a strong arts community and some really great restaurants. Now, how do we get to all of that?

My husband and I are fortunate to have two cars. We live in a close-in neighborhood, so getting around the city is never much of a problem. I still really want the convenience of public transportation! The thing is, I don't know how good or bad our public transportation system really is, because I don't take it anywhere. I hope I can inspire someone else to leave the car at home and take the bus!

I have taken the bus a few times when I needed to go to my company's downtown offices for the day. Super easy. Didn't have to pay to park. Fantastic!

A few weeks ago, I learned that a festival and some street construction downtown were going to cause a parking issue. My husband and I had theater tickets for that night, so we took the #69 Madisonville bus downtown to Know Theatre to see "Adding Machine: The Musical". All tickets at Know are $12, so if you like live theater and are willing to see something that you aren't expecting, I suggest you get down there. Know is on Jackson Street between E Central Parkway and 12th Streets.

The #69 bus loops through downtown, entering on 8th Street, going to Walnut and then turning left and going south through the city to Government Center. It exits downtown on 7th Street, which is one-way in the opposite direction of 8th. The bus stops at each intersection on 8th St, but then doesn't stop again until it hits Government Center, so if you need to be on the northerly side of downtown, you need to get off at 8th. I remember the downtown streets from east to west as Big Strong Men Will Very Regularly Eat Pork Chops (Broadway, Sycamore, Main, Walnut, Vine, Race, Elm, Plum, Central). I pull the stop cord just after we pass Main to get off at 8th and Walnut.

From there, it's a short walk to the Know Theatre. No problem. Saw the show. There was a little delay between the show's close and the bus, so we took the opportunity to have an adult beverage. I've decided that if you aren't going to work, this seems pretty relaxed.

A few nights later, my husband took the bus to meet me at Tonic for drinks, then Local 127 for dinner on our anniversary (4th and Walnut). This worked out just fine, and then we rode home together in the car.

Last night, we took the bus to the Aronoff to see the ballet. Also very convenient. The only thing that annoyed me is that I spent $7.00 for round-trip bus fare for two people and parking would only have cost $5.00. With gas, I might have spent the $7.00, but I can see why a family of four would absolutely NOT take the bus. Unless you have a pass and are taking it all the time, it's not really cost-effective if you have more than 2 people.

My work schedule isn't always perfectly well organized, so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to take the bus to work. Maybe a pass is the right solution for me, but maybe not.

Meanwhile, I'll gather my quarters, make sure I have a sturdy umbrella, and stock up the memory chip in my BlackBerry with Mandarin lessons. It's time to SORTA go somewhere.