The Metra Diaries: The Bar Car

If you've read some previous posts, you probably know already that I take a train (the Metra) to and from work pretty much every day. On the way home, I normally ride in the "bar car". This will probably explain some of the lunacy of my previous posts. Alcohol and mass transit can make for an ugly combination.

Before you are deluded with thoughts of having drinks in style while riding across the lush countryside, I need to tell you right off that the bar car isn't as opulent as it sounds. Between two of the cars where you'd normally get on and off the train, they have situated a make shift bar. On one side there's a beer cooler on the other is a stainless steel bar counter where a bartender can stand and serve drinks. It's primitive at best, but gets the job done.

It's also probably good to note that I don't get on the train at the first stop (Union Station). I catch the train in a suburb close to the city and take it to where I live in a suburb several miles away from the city. This means that some people have been on the train for up to 40 minutes prior to me getting on. This translates into 40 minutes of drinking time for the people on train even before I get there. Perhaps more if they've gotten off work early and had a time to hit a few at the bar in the station. I hope this give you some insight into some of the characters I am dealing with.