Archive Page 3
A tone of resignation
Years ago in St. Paul there was the 34 line. It went from Midway Center, through Hamline University and down Minnehaha Ave on its way to downtown. It passed a seniors hi-rise on Hamline and Minnehaha and another on Victoria and Minnehaha. It was a very lightly traveled route, so most of the riders were [...]
Wonderful, white, straight teeth
Riding the bus into work at 7 am from the Eastern suburbs, I sat down in a seat and the man sitting next to me says “good morning!” I respond back, little did I know, that was opening the doors to a half an hour bus ride of awkward conversation. The man, who is about [...]
Comb my hair
Riding home on the bus I sat in front of a guy and a girl, both young adults. After hearing them laugh for about 2 minutes straight I decided to put my headphones on. As I was nearing my stop I took off my headphones just in time to hear this gem of a conversation:
The Man and the Mousetrap
He sat down on the bus seat right in front of me, while I was trying to read about how each of us individually creates meaning from the complex tapestry of the American city. I was sitting there with my nose in the book when all of a sudden this young kid (there was a [...]
Friend who is a girl
It was my last trip of the night (about 11), on a mostly empty bus. A young woman got on and sat in one of the front side-facing seats. After a bit, she leaned in to me and said “can I ask you a personal question?” I paused for a moment.
You don’t enjoy Christmas?
I was riding the #16 during the Christmas season a few years ago. If anyone knows anything about the 16, they know that there is an extremely diverse grouping of people. I was sitting towards the front of the bus and a Muslim lady was sitting in the seat in front of me. Directly in [...]
Bye Shannon!
Normally if I attend any sort of Happy Hour activity after work I like to take a cab home because the 18 can get pretty sketchy after rush hour. Well, tonight I went to happy hour and only stayed for two drinks so I thought, well it’s still early, so I’ll hop the 18 home [...]
You’re a demon from hell
Some of the strangest people hop on the bus: we all know that. I was taking the 16 from the University to downtown Minneapolis around lunch hour, and as I got on I looked around. No one too strange, except this busy-looking woman, 50-ish, with a small duffel bag, who was sitting in a handicapped [...]
En-Route Ettiquette Takes a Breather
As some of my friends know from my text messages en-route, the personal hell I call mass transit is full of colorful folks on the Downtown-to-Uptown line. Today, I got in line for the #4 bus behind one such young man. The minute I ascended the stairs, I was enveloped in – not a slight [...]
