The Red Car

Trucks and trains have really been striking Marcus' fancy lately. Any time he sees or hears a truck or train he stops what he is doing and stares intently on the large piece of equipment making the low rumbling noise.

Lucky for us, there is a Red Car that travels a mile and a half, up and down the harbor, that is just perfect for little ones. Even more lucky for us, this summer riding is free of charge (though I think we could find a way to fit $1 tickets into our budget).

The minute we stepped on the Red Car Marcus went from the million-mile-a-minute tornado to a little boy who sat stone still, quite as a church mouse.

There are three Red Cars. Two are replicas patterned after the 1909 Pacific Electric 500-class interurban cars. A third car is a 1000-class Interurban car that was restored in the 60's from an actual 1907-vintage Pacific Electric car.

Though the trip down the tracks is a relatively short one it's just long enough to gain and keep Marcus' attention during the entirety of the ride.

The last stop on the rail is an area that is one of my favorite places in town.

For ten minutes the train waits near some fountains. While I LOVE them Marcus is still very leery of them. I think it's the noise. My kid has his father's hearing, which equals that of sonar ears. Loud noises do not peak Marcus' fun meter, and the fountains aren't exactly quiet.

We will keep riding the car with hopes that the fountains will eventually become a highlight for the both of us.

Naturally we had to take Grandma down the tracks while she visited.

Is it too soon to start thinking of ways to incorporate the Red Car into birthday plans, which is in March? 

Until our next ride, Red Car!