Modern Transportation @ It's Finest!

Have you ever been on the MAX? Over Spring Break, I went to Portland, OR. Portland was just voted the #1 transportation system in the United States. (Yes, it's even better than NYC.) Shocker, right? It's a light rail system, a lot like the subway. I've never been on the subway in NYC so I can't compare the two together. Maybe, someday. Anyways, it's really neat compared to the "non-public" transportation system we have in Missouri. LOL. It consist of four rails: green, blue, yellow, and red. You can get anywhere in the city by using them. The colors represent the different directions the rail goes. Sometimes, you can even arrive faster than you would driving a car, depending on the time of day. Portland has a website called trimet, which allows you to plug in your starting address and your final address to see how long your trip will take, when to get off, and when the next MAX comes, etc. It's a lot like Google Maps, but more accurate. In 2009, Portland was ranked #1 in Safety by Travel & Leisure. After riding all week, I agree. It's clean, newer, and it was always either early or right on time! Best of all, there is a free fare zone on the MAX. Did I say free? Yes! It's free all day and everyday. It's the best locations too! You can visit the the Pearl District, Lloyd Center Mall, lots of breweries, parks, etc. When traveling outside the free fare zone, it costs $2.35 for a ticket. You can purchase the tickets at the bus stop using your credit card or you can buy one at specific locations using cash or credit. The fine for not purchasing one is $175. Yikes! A lot of people "forget" to buy one because it's not enforced as much as it should be! I never traveled outside the free zone, but I heard stories over the break. I'm going to upload a video of what it looks like so you can envision what I'm describing! Where did you go over Spring Break?