Last Tuesday was a big day for me. I hadn’t done anything like it since 1992. Back then, it felt a lot different, mostly because taking a trip back then was a little more hit and miss and I did it all took place downtown and in White Center.
When I stopped doing it, it wasn’t really a conscious decision. I simply changed my routine. Instead of doing it there I did it in my car instead. Daily. I admit. I was a younger man back then and it didn’t matter where I did it. It was fairly inexpensive and I seemed to have an endless supply of money.
But now, it can really add up. I mean, I was shelling out probably $20 a day on it, a level of commitment I couldn’t readily keep up. Especially when I could do it for just $5.
A lot of people are doing it too, I found. I didn’t know this until last week, when I hopped in the Janmeister’s rental. She offered to drop me off, so I could catch a bus. Yes, a bus. I have become a bus rider.
After a 20 year hiatus, I can tell you that the bus hasn’t changed much. I can say that the quality of people in Shoreline are much better than the ones in White Center. They don’t smell as much for starters.
One thing that has changed is paying for the privilege of bussing it. Back in the day you had paper tickets or a monthly bus pass. The bus pass was a really good deal because you could ride the bus as much as you wanted and it cost the same. I think I paid $32 back then for a two zone bus pass.
But those wily transit folks figured out how to fix their revenue problem with the Orca card. Every time you ride the bus, you swipe your little card and they ding your bank account. The good news is you can ride any transit you want, from light rail and Kitsap or Pierce Transit to the ferries. Pretty cool. Still a little pissy that it doesn’t work on the Monorail, but I’ll live with that.
I ride the 301 Express. It stops right by my house and drops me in the scary tunnel downtown. There’s something about that tunnel that still creeps me out. I used to poke fun about it in a parody I wrote about riding the Metro bus. Wait, I still make fun of riding the Metro bus. I didn’t really like the tunnel then and I’m not sure I’m crazy about it now. I guess it was all those disaster movies where people are caught in the subway during an earthquake. I can’t help but think I will be one of the lucky ones to get caught down there during a shake, rattle and roll in Seattle. If there is an earthquake and I don’t post a RobZerrvation the next day, look for me at the Westlake Station. I will be under some rubble.
Back to the bus. I took my seat and off we went. The 301 is a pretty popular bus and for good reason. It’s an Express. It only makes a handful of stops before getting on the freeway. I left at 7:11 and made it downtown 7:40. It takes me that long in my car but as I noted, I’m only shelling our $6 instead of $11 to park plus gas and wear and tear on the vehicle.
As I sat down, I did notice something had indeed changed. Back in the day, people would talk on the bus. Now they all they do is stare blankly at their iPhones. They do this for the entire trip. Not just one or two people, but 30 or 40 of them. Me? I people watch, just like I always have. In this case, I watch people who are so removed from living life in this big world of ours that they do the Zombie stare at their phones.
What do they do on the phone? Well, they don’t talk, that’s for sure. Instead, they scroll through their music, read their email or text. I’m not sure who thinks these people are so interesting that they want to text them while they are on a bus. What do they text? “I am on the bus.” “Bus sucks.”
I think I liked it better when people at least acknowledged that someone else was on the bus. In a sad way, I think iPhones have made people the mindless drones that Steve Jobs poked fun of in his famous launch ad for the Mac. All that is needed is for chick with a hammer to come running down the aisle of with a hammer, smashing everyone’s little screens.
I do admit that the tunnel did fascinate me yesterday when I was heading home. I arrived just as several buses were departing. None were mine. Then the tunnel went completely empty. Before long, a light appeared. It wasn’t a bus, but the light rail. It disappeared and a moment or two later, my bus arrived. It’s kind of jarring to see buses and a train use the same tunnel. Very sci-fi for this guy.
As for me, my bus was one of the train followers. As I boarded it, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had gotten on the right bus. There’s no way to tell once you’re onboard, so for the first five minutes or so I wondered how I would ever get home if I got on the wrong damned bus.
I didn’t. It delivered my to 183rd and Aurora about 1/2 hour later. No stressful drive, no hunting for a place to park, no wondering what the commute home up Aurora would be like. I get to leave all that to the bus driver. Not a bad deal for $3.
We’ll see if I remain as optimistic once the weather turns bad. Perhaps my honeymoon with Metro will become an icky divorce come winter time.
In the Emerald City, thinking I should cause a commotion by asking the person next to me how they are today,
– Robb