community

I am back to work after a luxurious two month vacation.  To ease the pain of my first day, I treated myself to Peet's coffee in the ferry building.  As soon as I walked in, I was cheerily greeted by the staff, who all wanted to hear about my vacation, and congratulated me on a new school year.  

After picking up my latte, I made my way to the ferry, which was just docking.  Fellow ferry commuters and ferry workers warmly welcomed me back to the reverse commute crew.  Again, I regaled tales of my summer and shared back to work woes.  

Upon docking in Tiburon, I began my one mile trek to work.  As I walked, I passed the same people I pass everyday on my way to work, all of whom stopped for a quick chat.

My first ferry commute, in addition to being brutally early, also got me thinking.  Richard the fabulously happy coffee guy, Robert the ferry dude and avid anglophile, Judd the Tiburon commuter and San Francisco Bay kayaker, are all people I would not have met if I owned a car. 

Becoming a more connected member of my community: just another benefit to carless commuting.