8 September 2009 – IESE

Today marked a new era in my daily commute, the era of subway. For years, I’ve anticipated the day when I’d arrive to work via subway. Ever since my first metro ride at the age of seven in Washington DC, I have envisioned myself amongst the bustle of the commuters, navigating the packed transfer tunnels while being completely oblivious to everyone else. I figured the day would come sooner or later, and today on my way home from class, I realized that I was a subway commuter.
Like everyone, I’ve technically been commuting my whole life. Throughout grade school and high school, I walked every day, rain or shine, -20 or +85. In college I graduated to a bicycle which saw many spills on the icy roads between Minneapolis and St. Paul. After a bicycle theft and a new job, I purchased my first transit pass and became an advocate for MSP public transportation. One of the few downfalls with Minneapolis is its public transit. The spread out nature of the city prevents an efficient or effective subway system, limiting my commute solely to buses and to the occasional light rail ride (depending where I woke up). Then I moved to Barcelona, experimented with the different routes to class, and decided to become a subway commuter.
To get to class each morning, I walk five minutes to the Verdageur station. I take the Blue Line to Sants Estacio where I transfer to the Green Line, a few short stops to my ultimate station, Palau Reial. From Palau Reial, it is a fifteen minute walk—up hill—to campus. I could take a more direct bus route, requiring zero transfers, in the same amount of time; however, I have chosen the first route because I enjoy the opportunity to get a mild walk in each morning. Every good commute—even one on an immaculate subway system—still should require a good walk.