I might seem tough. I might seem like the kind of person who picks fights and makes people shake in their boots with from one icy glare. I might seem so tough that you’d imagine people cross to the other side of the street when they see me. (Well, that is, if pink lip gloss and pastel sweaters really freak you out.) But I’ll let you in on a little secret: I actually have an inner wimp.

This inner wimp has been taking a real hold of one particular aspect of my life lately. Here’s a clue: it’s not a bird or a plane… it’s SEPTA. A girl can only walk so far when she is wearing five inch heels.

I’ll be the first to admit that I thoroughly enjoy our “Penn Bubble.” Not to slap too much praise on our super campus, but all of the essentials are here. Starbucks? We have two, or three. Breakfast? Au Bon Pain muffins rock my world. Real food, with a little less sugar? Check. Clothing stores? I didn’t leave the “Bubble” until recently, and I haven’t had to run any errands naked yet. Speaking of running… Pottruck Gym, people!

Well, this semester I found myself going downtown more and more often. I also found my cab drivers becoming increasingly weird. (Red eyes, scary radio, and locked doors. There were no real issues, but I felt like my luck was bound to run out eventually.) I thought about SEPTA. I know most Penn kids don’t think safety and then immediately think of SEPTA, but trust me. If you met my cabdrivers, you too would suddenly think “SEPTA = safety”.

There is only one problem. My past experiences with SEPTA have also included creepy people. Plus, SEPTA is underground. If you ask me, all things underground are sketchy. Except the Underground Railroad. But, let’s ignore that exception to the rule.

Before taking SEPTA, I had seen lots of creeps. The difference now with SEPTA was that I wasn’t locked in a vehicle with those creeps. So, I braced myself for my first real SEPTA trip. I headed over to Fresh Grocer and bought my tokens - cash only. Looking back, it seems so simple. I buy tokens all the time now. At that time, however, I was sure that I was about to die. I could see the newspaper headlines: “Student SEPTA Ride Takes Turn for the Worst.”

I trembled the whole way to the subway station. Then, I used a token. I waited for the subway. I made it down to Center City alive and in one piece. It was fabbuloousss.

I am a SEPTA junkie now, and I’m okay with it. I’m saving my pennies; SEPTA tokens cost much less than ten dollar cab rides. I’m also saving my life; the locked cab doors convinced me of that fact.

Most importantly, though, I am saving the world! (Insert goofy high five here.) That’s right. I am keeping the air clean with my newfound love of mass transit. At least this was my initial grandiose belief. So I checked the facts.

As it turns out, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that traffic jams alone waste nine billion gallons of gas a year. I’m a gas-saving commuter now. WOOT! Furthermore, the UrbanPlanet Institute estimates that every one dollar invested in public transportation projects generates between four and nine dollars in local economic activity. So, you see, I’m investing in our City of Brotherly Love and avoiding crazy locked-door drives when I take SEPTA.

I understand the urge to stay within the comfy confines of our “Penn Bubble” as much as anyone. And those of you who already take SEPTA have my permission to laugh at me (even though I am now officially tough because I use SEPTA).

But, if you don’t already take SEPTA, I suggest that you try it out. You’ll feel so accomplished. You’ll finally be able to tell the SEPTA survey people on Locust Walk that you do use SEPTA. You will sleep like a baby at night because you know you are saving Mother Earth. And (chances are) you won’t end up being the material for that dreaded headline on the front page of the Inquirer.

Fingers crossed.