Santa can’t use the reindeer
The 17 is one of those curious bus lines that come out of downtown, mixing the suits, bums, students, uptowners, retail workers, and the unusually usual cast of the urban theater. On one particular afternoon I was heading back from the U and the 17 Southbound had just crossed the I-94 canyon. The riders were the typical mix of everything and everyone, it was relatively quiet, and everyone had the look of routine. Continue reading ‘Santa can’t use the reindeer’
Harry the lady lover
I was riding my bus last week when a particularly chatty and loud man (let’s call him Harry) got on a few stops after me. Harry was talking to the people sitting around him when a woman got on the bus a few stops later. She had a plaid coat with a fur collar, and Harry asked if he could buy it for his wife. Continue reading ‘Harry the lady lover’
Somewhere a ninja smiles
About a year ago, I decided to have a couple of pints at a pub close to my bus. About 5 hours later, 3 drinks too many, and with a phone number from a very manly looking woman, I realized my last bus was about to leave me stranded downtown. I leaped off my barstool, out the door, and ran down the street to catch my bus. I managed to flag down the driver who had grown accustom to my last ditch efforts to time my drinks to the MTC schedule. I sat in my usual seat in the middle of the bus and looked up to see I was the lone passenger on the bus. I put on my headphones and prepared for an uneventful ride. Continue reading ‘Somewhere a ninja smiles’
Screechy Cocka-Doodle-Doos
This was a few years back, probably early 2001. I got on the 54 in St. Paul, headed home from high school. After paying my fare I looked for a seat and noticed every person on the bus was sitting in the front half of the bus. Trusting that the community of bus riders knew something I didn’t, I sat in the second row. Continue reading ‘Screechy Cocka-Doodle-Doos’
