All in the Family

My Mom and me on the Coaster together.

In my Coaster commuter world, there are two sets of regulars on the train who are couples: an older couple who sit quietly and read the newspaper in the morning, and a young couple who bike to the train station together and work at UCSD. I am also part of a commuting family group, although the dynamics are a bit different. One day per week my Dad rides the Coaster to see his grandkids, and another day my Mom rides the Coaster, also to see the kids. They share a Coaster pass, and so can't ride together. Plus, the point is to help my sister out with her two children, so she gets help from either Mom or Dad twice per week.

My Dad and me during our morning commute.

On those mornings, I get to ride with one of them half-way to downtown. (They get off at an earlier stop.) It's a nice way to spend the time in the morning, plus I know that some annoying person won't sit next to me. They take an earlier train home, so I don't see them in the afternoon, but, those two days, I look forward to talking to them during the morning commute. I wonder how many other people are part of our elite group of family commuters.