Getting ready to board (Helen Zhao / Neon Tommy)

Stephanie Varela and Andrew Roman met in high school, but they didn’t reconnect until years later when they bumped into each other on the Metro. 

As East L.A. residents and students at Los Angeles City College, getting to school involved a trip on the Red Line for both Varela and Roman. 

“It was freaky. We ran into each other over and over again,” said Roman, a 21-year-old psychology student. “It got to the point where we exchanged numbers. We started competing to get to the station first.”

They bonded during their morning commutes, over “debates on the train, arguing over the stupidest things,” said Varela, a 19-year-old art student. 

Using the Metro as their primary means of transportation for the last two years has been a stimulating and entertaining experience for both Roman and Varela — preferable to the traffic and congestion that characterizes driving in Los Angeles.

Roman got his driver’s license earlier this year, while Varela still doesn’t have hers. 

Roman sums up the simplicity and ease of using the Metro as “you just tap and go.” 

Then it’s time to daydream and observe, or sketch fellow passengers, like Varela does. 

“Sometimes I nap. I put my head down,” Roman said. “I look out the window. I look at all the places I’ve been. I people watch.  People are funny on a train. Sometimes a little more concerning than other times. We get to know the characters that come in.” 

Riding the Metro has its drawbacks, Roman says, like occasional long wait times, scheduling that’s off, or even aggressive sheriffs. 

Laughing on the Metro (Helen Zhao / Neon Tommy)

“I witnessed them harass homeless people on the train. I was cornered by one because I didn’t say hello to him and he got really pissed at me… It was a power play thing. Like I didn’t respect his authority. It was scary.” 

But the occasional hassles, Roman says, are no comparison to the liability of driving a car. 

“I think about it like having a big baby. Driving around this big baby who needs cleaning, feeding, parking; it needs a home for the night. You can’t park it in the red. Ugh, so many rules. Street sweeping. It drives me crazy. Metro is easy. You sit down and ride.”

(Brian Bencomo / Annenberg Media)

Contact Contributor Helen Zhao here and follow her on Twitter here.