Great Moments In Public Transportation
This is a little different than my normal Blog topic. It's a hell of a lot different.
On weekends, if I write I'll try to do something different. A lighter topic. Save the heavy stuff for the weekdays. It doesn't get much lighter than riding the trains and buses.
If you ride public transportation long enough you'll see a little of everything. Some funny, some sad. Some good, some bad. And that brings us to earlier today.
I'm in the Lakeview area of Chicago, heading to Lincoln Park. That means jumping on a Brown Line train. I take the elevator to the platform and see it's jammed with people. More than on a work day at rush hour. That should be tipoff #1 that something is wrong.
The train arrives and every car is packed. No seats. No room in the aisle. The conductor says on the loudspeaker that another train is right behind. Hey! I'm no train virgin. I know that right behind means 15 minutes, especially on a Saturday. Maybe even more.
I squeeze on. It's sardine-ville. There's more bodies rubbing together than in most porn films. I wonder if this counts as having sex because then I....well nevermind.
We reach Diversey. I head downstairs to catch the bus. There's a monitor that lets you know when the next train will arrive. It says 15 minutes. RIGHT ON!! So the conductor-bitch lied about it being "right behind."
I can live with a train being late. I can live with a train being full. But don't fucking lie to me and all the other passengers. It's not asking for much, is it?
The train leads to the bus traveling east on Diversey. I can walk to my destination but the bus is coming in a minute. It shows up on time. DING!! One point for the bus people.
There's a woman getting on the bus with two young ones in a stroller. OY!! I've said it before and I'll say it again....I HATE THAT SHIT!!!
We get on the bus and there's a stroller to the left of me. A stroller to the right and there I was...stuck in the middle with you (3rd stroller).
To make things worse, there's a lady with a food cart behind us. You might be wondering how the hell everyone was going to get off the bus. I was, too.
The strollers left the bus first. Then came the food cart woman. Then the strollers re-entered the bus. SIGH!!
Next two stops, same thing. BIGGER SIGH!!
I did reach my destination. Wasn't easy but I got there. I was going to a Panera Bread store for a cup of tea. They were out of hot water but that story is for another day. Today it was all about traveling in the city and finding a couple of Great Moments in Public Transportation.