Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Bus Report #154

Yesterday afternoon I waited for about 10 minutes for a 22 Fillmore that was not completely crowded or headed for the garage. Passed the time chatting with Ramon, who is doing pretty well. He had gotten a nice orchid at work and was toting it carefully in a plastic bag.
We finally got a bus and I made my way to the back, stopping to say 'hi' to Ebony.
I took the seat in the way back on the left and Ramon sat next to me. There were a bunch of exhausted and wilted kids back there with us, as well as a few Cor-O-Van guys.
A hot but not awful ride.
At Bryant, a girl with a baby got on with her boyfriend in tow. They had a stroller and a detachable baby seat and it was amazing to see people actually make room for them to sit down. As soon as they were comfortably seated the little girls sitting near us started fawning over the chubby, sleeping baby.
A man sitting across the aisle from them looked from the mom and baby (Latina) to the boyfriend (black) and back again. He finally said, "Cute baby, yours?"
The mom said, "He's my boyfriend."
The man said, "How old's the baby? 3 months?"
The mom smiled. "Yeah, she just turned three months."
Everyone in the back of the bus watched the baby and chatted softly. It was very relaxing and nice.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Bus Report #153

Today is the 6th Spare The Air Day.
Pros: FREE public transit for everyone, in an attempt to cut down on pollution.
Cons: Well, it's hot and there are a lot of extra people on the bus. And everyone is sweaty, and the people who don't generally ride MUNI have no idea of MUNI etiquette, at all.

I was talking about this with one of the ladies who rides the 22 with me sometimes from my PH stop. We thought it would be funny to publish a MUNI etiquette guide for any new riders.

Yesterday afternoon our 22 was stopped at Haight and Fillmore because the wheelchair lift would not retract. Finally the driver said, "Can I get someone to come jump on the lift a little? I think it just needs some weight on it to close."
Everyone grinned and shook their heads. A man in a vest and beret gamely went up front and jumped on the lift. It retracted! We all cheered him. As he sat back down he said, "I just want to get home, you know what I'm saying?"
Oh, yes, my friend, I know what you are saying.

The Teacher's Pet spotted a 10 Townsend bus the other day with a 'Nowhere In Particular' destination sign. It was cutting down a North Beach street, and seemed odd to her. She is convinced it was the same driver as my 41 Union from the other day.

Beat the heat, fellow MUNI riders and friends.
Remember, open those windows, put on deodorant and please don't stand in the step well!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Bus Report #152

As seen this morning:

41 Union bus, destination sign reading: Nowhere In Particular

Two trucks on Fillmore with Denver boots

A kid doing an awful job of trying to look shifty, casing a car in my old neighborhood

The Teacher's Pet, hailing a cab