Downtown Date Night Via JTA

[Jimmy]

My honey has never been on a bus or other means of public transit.  So we're planning a downtown datenight using nothing but JTA to get from Avondale to the CBD.  If I have this figured out, we'll take the WS2 to near the Landing.  Mill around there.  Maybe take the Skyway over the river and back.  Eat somewhere.  Maybe visit the library.  And then get back to Avondale via the WS2.

Is there a soul on MetJax who has done something similar and thinks this plan is bound for success... or failure?

[danem]

Either way, I think that experience would make a fun and informative article, especially if there are pictures.

[fieldafm]

Why not take the Riverside Trolley to get into to town ?  It will drop you right at the Landing in front of Starbucks(Koja Sushi is a great date night location on the water).

And while you're at it, call JTA and tell them evening hours Thursday through Saturday are a need for the neighborhood!!

Getting downtown from Avondale is actually very easy.. just be careful on how late you stay out, that's where the difficulty comes in b/c so many routes are ending earlier nowadays.  

If you do it on a Thursday night, hit up NOLA.  Otherwise, Jerry at La Cena will feed you well!  

[thelakelander]

You may want to make it a date day or morning.  The skyway only operates on the weekends during special events and stops running at 7pm during the work week. The library closes at 8pm on weekdays and earlier on the weekends.  So, if you start your date too late, you may end up walking for a while or coming up on a locked public facility.

[fieldafm]

That's also what I was thinking, lol. 

[Jimmy]

Thanks for those suggestions!

If I'm reading the trolley schedule correctly, for week-day use, that would be an early night.  We'll be in a hurry even with the WS2.  That doesn't run nearly late enough into the evening to be a practical choice.

The early ending time of the Skyway could create some problems!!  I was sure it ran until 8 or 9.  Grrrr...

I'll have some cash for cab fare, just in case...

[Jimmy]

You may want to make it a date day or morning...

No kidding, sheesh.  These options are depressing.

Looks like we can Skyway to the Southbank and water taxi back.  The SS Marine runs after the Skyway stops.

Says a facebook friend of the prospect:  "You will probably shanked, stabbed, shot, and propositioned for sex. Not in that specific, of course."

[fieldafm]

Says a facebook friend of the prospect:  "You will probably shanked, stabbed, shot, and propositioned for sex. Not in that specific, of course."

How pathetically ignorant.

No kidding, sheesh.  These options are depressing.

Now how do you think it is for downtown office workers that work 3rd shift?

Jimmy, you are the perfect candidate to let JTA know of your desire to have Riverside Trolley service extended until midnight Thursday through Saturday evenings!!  Shoot me a PM, please!

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Field, I've beaten that drum till my hands hurt, and I can't really blame them.

I don't think that you can use the Field of Dreams analogy here.  Have you seen the ridership on the PCTs later in the evening?  It's pathetic.  It's once, twice a week that I'm the only person on the trolley from the Landing all the way to Park & Dancy.  Extending the hours will never happen until they see people on it during the current operating hours.

Maybe a solution would be to run a different route on Thurs - Sat night.  Start at the Landing, down Park St & into 5 pts.  Oak St or Riverside to Stockton, Stockton to Rosselle, Rosselle to King to Park to Dancy to St. Johns to King and then Reverse it from there.  Granted, this only benefits the drinkers and nightlifers, but it wouldn't take much to get the hipster, drinking crowd to start filling the PCTs when they realize they can use them to barhop.

[fieldafm]

I don't think that you can use the Field of Dreams analogy here.  Have you seen the ridership on the PCTs later in the evening?  It's pathetic.  It's once, twice a week that I'm the only person on the trolley from the Landing all the way to Park & Dancy.  Extending the hours will never happen until they see people on it during the current operating hours.

The ridership when they have offered service downtown on Art Walk nights would tend to make your point null and void.  There is certainly demand for evening hours.  Parking is becoming a big problem as the three commercial districts grow.  Also, the headways b/w 5-7pm and on Saturdays are EXTREMELY inconvenient for choice riders.

I rode the trolley nonstop during the 'R'ides of March promotion and I was amazed at the first time users of the system that either A) didnt know it existed before and B) ALL talked about how convenient evening service would be.

The Beaches Trolley runs until 3AM Thursday-Saturday.  To put THAT into perspective, the Riverside Trolley has MORE riders than the Beaches Trolley.

Both the demand and need is ominpresent.

A secondary RT route along Park that terminates at the current FCCJ hub(while the current route down Riverside/St Johns could then terminate in a loop system at Roosevelt Square, thereby linking this route end-to-end with major retail anchors), helped in part by consolidating the SEVEN bus services that currently touch Park throughout the day, would really make the PCT system humming along with evening hours.

[Jimmy]

I will be more happy to contact JTA with my opinion of the need for increased hours for the Riverside Trolley.

[KenFSU]

Man do I wish our main library was open later than 7:00 PM during the week.

11:00 PM or even midnight would be so great.

[danem]

Man do I wish our main library was open later than 7:00 PM during the week.

11:00 PM or even midnight would be so great.

That would be nice, although the way things have been going, we're lucky the libraries are open as long as they are!

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

The ridership when they have offered service downtown on Art Walk nights would tend to make your point null and void.

I think it doesn't have any relation to my point: 

Have you seen the ridership on the PCTs later in the evening?  It's pathetic.  It's once, twice a week that I'm the only person on the trolley from the Landing all the way to Park & Dancy

During 'normal working hours' there is nobody on the bus.  I would like to think that the ridership would increase if the service did, but I don't see that happening.   I'm on it 3-4 days a week, and as I said, typically I'm the only one, there's never more than another couple.  Where are all of the: 

first time users of the system that either A) didnt know it existed before and B) ALL talked about how convenient evening service would be.

They're still not on the bus.

[JHAT76]

The ride in from Dancy and St John's on the trolley is great (I live on Riverside near Dancy if anyone wants to trolley over for a drink).  Drops right off at Landing and you can walk to library or the semi happening area on Bay St and Burrito Gallery on Adams.  I met my wife at library (where she works) one afternoon and it was a nice ride back.  A lot of LPS workers going from 5 points to LPS and LPS to Landing area.  I too wish they ran trolley later/earlier.  I work weird hours sometimes on weekends and would love to have that option.  Either way you could always do one route and take home another.

What would be great would be to have the trolley hit the Skyway in the Brooklyn area.  Connecting that new hotel being built on Riverside.  Then if Skyway went all the way to Everbank you would never need a car.  Would also be great when outside visitors come in for a game.