Getting Around: Harrisburg, PA

I passed through Harrisburg when the “Getting Around” project was just a vague idea. I took Amtrak from NYC to Milwaukee with several stops. Harrisburg was the second stop.

I wanted to ride transit at least once at each stop. But Harrisburg was challenging.

Harrisburg has pretty decent bus coverage, but, most bus lines only run every 45-60 minutes. Worse, some stop running as early as 6pm, and most by 9pm.

I wanted to try a gym across the river when I arrived, but the timing just wouldn’t work. That bus stopped at 6. I’d need to catch an Uber, at least for the return trip. Or else have a really long walk along the side of a sidewalkless road.

I thought, well, maybe I just won’t ride the bus in Harrisburg. I wandered around town for a while and got coffee and a pastry at a bakery. The owner of the bakery recommended a few spots, including a bookstore that was apparently a big deal.

Also explored the riverfront. Gorgeous!

The next morning, I set out to the bookstore.

I passed by the Transit center, and thought, well, even if I can’t take a bus to the gym, maybe I can take it somewhere else, even just ride some direction at random a few stops.

I opened the Transit app to see which buses were coming, and braced myself, expecting to have to figure out the fare structure and how to buy a ticket.

But I was in for a surprise!

The Transit app immediately offered me the option to buy a bus ticket, right in the app! And I looked at departures, and a bus was coming in a few minutes, headed right towards the book store!

Got a ticket, showed the screen to the driver, got on. Easy peasy.

The bookstore, Midtown Scholar, was huge and really cool. Definitely worth a visit! Got some books and stopped nearby for a coffee and a croissant, then grabbed my bags and boarded the train to Altoona.

Sometimes just one little thing, like a prompt to buy a ticket, can make it easier to take transit.