riding the bus with my sistah

One of the many weird things about me is that I don’t drive. I rely on mass transit, for the most part, to get around. It wasn’t a problem in NYCity, but here, it can be a pretty major inconvenience. My recent job search was limited only to positions that were on the Metro lines. There were a few listings I would have liked to apply to but knew that getting to them would be impossible.

The Metro system in DC is fairly decent. Most of the major attractions are near Metro or Metrobus lines. In some cases the station was placed in popular locations, and in other cases, the areas became popular because there was a station. The trains and buses are reliable, clean, and safe.

I have very few complaints about DC's transit system and they only come from comparing this system to NYCity's. My one major gripe is the infrequency that the buses run. I was so spoiled by NY’s MTA system that threw a bus down the line every 10 to 15 minutes. The norm here is every half an hour, but only until a certain time, then it’s one every hour, and after nine you’re on your own for getting home. On weekends the service is dramatically cut and on holidays ... well, start walking, it’ll be faster.

Today’s experience on the bus was the best so far. I had to take the 10B toward the Braddock Station because I missed my normal bus. The bus pulled up and as I boarded, the driver asked the following:

“Where are you going?”
“To the Metro station.”
“Do you know how to get there.”
“Yeah.”
“Can you direct me?”
"Huh?"

This poor driver was pulled from her normal route and forced to drive one that she has never been on. I laughed ... “with her” ... and told her I would direct her only if she bypassed all the bus stops and went directly to the Metro. The woman sitting in the first seat didn’t like that and promptly volunteered to be her guide. She did a great job of pointing out the bus stops when we were half a block away, explaining the situation to each passenger who boarded, and entertaining us with tales about how her son was conceived while Luther Vandross played in the background. Too much information? I say not.

The guide and I were getting off at the same stop, so before getting there, she led the now crowded bus in prayer for the driver to find her way to the end of the line (and back) and then offered her seat only to someone who would assume her guide role. There were many volunteers.

As we walked away from the bus, the guide pulled out a beer from her purse and jokingly complained that her beer was now warm because the ride took so long. She was Hi-Larious.