All of my life, I have always had the privelige of driving or getting a ride around town. Even when I lived in cities like Los Angeles or Chicago, I was lucky to have a car and drive. When I came to Madrid, however, I had no such luck and realized I would rely upon the metro. Luckily for me, the metro in Madrid is fantastically designed, and I can get anywhere in the city within minutes. Trains run every five minutes, there are ten lines to take and the stations are well kept and clean. And the best part, is that I can buy a single ticket for the month and have unlimited metro and bus rides! This field note will tell you about my experience with the metro here and the transportation culture in Madrid.
Most people travel in the city via the metro. As I said before, there are ten lines, so people can hop on and hop off pretty much anywhere in the city. At times, it can become insanely packed, and you feel like a sardine in a tin! At 1:30 a.m., the trains shut down and at that point, most people will have to rely on either night buses or taxis. I know that 1:30 a.m. sounds pretty late, but to Spaniards, it is a farily reasonable hour. I have had one friend tell me, "If I come back to the house at one or two in the morning, I really have not gone out, it's more like I just went for a walk."
Outside of city travel, many people travel via trains or cars.
