This weekend, my adventure on the new Gold Line extension into East Los Angeles got me excited about the potential of public transit in our city.

To celebrate the opening of the line, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority allowed passengers to ride for free on Sunday, November 15. At each stop, there was a mini festival featuring artisans, food stalls, and info booths about the train.

I usually have to take the bus everywhere, but it's not always convenient. It takes me two hours to get to the beach by bus, when it would take only 30 minutes by car.

And while I still have to wait a while for the "Subway to the Sea," I'm happy that the Gold Line will at least get me get a little closer to the San Gabriel mountain range, just north of Pasadena.

The Gold Line conveniently connects Pasadena and  East Los Angeles, which is where I live.

I'm thinking of going to community college in the future, so community colleges in both areas would be accessible to me since they're both close to the metro.

Still, I have some reservations about the train.

I fear that the train will make some bus lines obsolete, even while it will save time and money. Sometimes the bus is convenient because there are stops everywhere.

And the metro line could cause more congestion. There will be a lot of street traffic along the line. That could be dangerous since the train is at street level.

And while I anticipate that the increased street traffic will improve the surrounding economy, I just hope it doesn't create gentrification and push the lower income, Spanish-speaking populations out of East Los Angeles.

But, overall, for someone like me, with no car and little money, the train promises golden opportunities down the line.