I always would look through the AAA membership magazine to see what events were happening locally as well as to look at the archived picture of California from 50 plus years ago. What always peeked my interest and still does is the trains. I was always enamored with the idea of taking a train ride to Arizona or the seasonal  murder mystery dinner play train ride. The latter still being on my to do list. So having the opportunity or need to commute by train became quite interesting. I would see the Metrolink stations and often pass by Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, but actually being a regular on the train rides to work was much different than I expected. So here's what I've learned when traveling on a train you must never forget the essentials. The following items are what any chic train commuter needs in order to have a pleasant ride. First, a light jacket is a must for the varying temperatures and gloves are a must.  Consider this,you are holding onto hand rails like all the other patrons did before you all week or month. A scarf, not only to keep the chills at bay but should you choose to travel light, you can always wrap your hair and safely lean back on the seats without fuss of what head may have leaned back before you. A bottle of water, hand sanitizer, an Ipod to relax or block out the chatter when you are not seated in a quiet car, shades to block out the sun, or the guy who directly seated across from you with virtually no where to look. Lastly, mints or gum for those times when someone might ask you what train you're on. Don't get me wrong, the same essentials are reasonable for your car, but most of us have cars that allow us to selfishly blare our music at volumes we desire, and leave items on our seats or sip our morning cups of coffee as we see fit. If you ever would like to share your time and space outside of ride share Thursdays, try the train to commute and please don't forget the essentials!