Trip gone awry
I ride the 260. When that route is unavailable, I will take the 94 instead. This way, I can catch the 84 going north on Snelling Ave. and get back to the Rosedale Park and Ride. The best part about riding the bus are the experiences you have when even one part of your trip goes awry. I missed the stop on Snelling Avenue and rode all the way into downtown Saint Paul. I thought I was in good shape because the bus would turn around and go back. When the driver announced to me that it was the end of the route and the bus was going back to the garage, I had no idea what I should do. I got off the bus and trudged off into the night in search of something that could get me to Snelling Avenue.
Eventually, I came to the big bus shelter at 5th & Cedar/5th & Minnesota, something like that, in downtown Saint Paul. There were many, many people gathered there waiting for the bus and they treated me to some fine street theatrics.
First, there were three young men canvassing the people in the crowds asking, “Whachyoo need? Whachyoo need?” The person accosted would answer back with one thing or another and the deal was promptly transacted.
Second, there were many young men shouting at one another from opposite areas of the bus stop. The shouting was an indication of the mens’ membership in one gang or another.
Third, there was yet another young man who was attempting to pick up a young girl, many years his junior. It was later speculated by a friend of mine that the man was a pimp and he was trying to recruit the girl as a prostitute.
All of these people ended up getting on the same bus when it arrived.
I, on the other hand, was waiting for the 61, since it followed a very convoluted route through the east side of Saint Paul, but would reach Snelling. While riding that bus, I saw what looked like a robbery setup. The way it works is the would be robbers park a car on a side street with the hood up, as if in distress. The robbers will then hide near the car, but more or less out of sight to the unsuspecting victim who stops to help, swooping down on the victim from different directions to enhance the element of surprise. All of the elements were there.
Once I got to Snelling, I thought that catching the 84 would be easy. I ate supper at Dino’s and looked out the window to chance seeing it drive by. “Oh well, I thought, the next one will be along in 15 minutes.” I left the restaurant and started to walk down Snelling, but could never happen to be at a bus stop when the 84 came by.
Finally, I came to where Snelling Ave. crosses MN 36. There is no sidewalk on the bridge, but I was nearly to Rosedale and didn’t want to go back. Crossing the bridge was a chore, since the margin on the side was full of solid and slippery snow and ice. if you walked wrong on it, you could fall into the traffic on Snelling or over the side of the bridge and onto MN 36. Using my hand and grabbing the outer edge of the bridge itself to steady me, I proceeded across the bridge leaning towards the traffic on Snelling. Good thing it was dark, otherwise, some people might have really freaked out.
I got across the bridge and back to Rosedale in one piece. What an adventure.
Mar 20th, 2007 at 4:59 am
You should have caught Route 65 downtown St. Paul, that would have taken you right to Rosedale!!!
Mar 22nd, 2007 at 1:44 am
Yeah, but I didn’t know where the 65 boarded.
Mar 22nd, 2007 at 6:23 pm
> Yeah, but I didn’t know where the 65 boarded.
Last I was there (it’s been ages), the bus shelters around the 5th St.-6th St.-Cedar St.-Minnesota St. block (or at least the indoor one in that building on Minnesota St.) had maps of the block, listing which routes stopped at which boarding area. Do they still post those?
Mar 25th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Not that I saw. All it had were the time schedules of the buses that stopped at that shelter.