My First Experience on a Light Rail

My first experience on a light rail, with the tracks cutting through city traffic and people waiting under tiny awnings was in the cold, industrial city of Milan, Italy. Although the city has a subway, the light rail was my preferred method of travel, above ground and speedy, the light rail allowed me to hop on and off while still feeling connected to the architecture and the beauty of the city. That was more than 7,000 miles and three pairs of shoes ago, however, when I look at the newly built Phoenix Light Rail, I cannot help but be reminded of that gorgeous city and the amazing public transportation that connected shopping with museums and people with restaurants.  It is a welcomed sense of comfort and luxury to step into a quietly humming streetcar filled with air conditioning after trudging through steamy hot Phoenix. Stop after stop more people clamor on while others trickle away, each person coming and going, getting exactly where they need to go. And as I people watch, a symphony of doors opening and closing and feet shuffling and buildings whirring past takes place before my eyes; I am stunned. I have lived in Phoenix my entire life, born and raised, and I have never witnessed our dusty city come alive like this. We are a large, busting at the seams, modern kind of place and yet now, only now after this light rail have we moved into the 21^st century. I am proud that our city, like so many other great cities, now has reliable, contemporary, public transportation so that we as citizens can feel connected to the beauty of our architecture and our restaurants and our museums. Phoenix is large with borders that seem never ending but this light rail is just the first step of a long sequence meant to intertwine society so that convenience meets community.