Public Transportation

I forget how much I truly enjoy riding the bus.

Yes, I was born in Detroit (yes actually in the city of Detroit) but I grew up in the suburbs. My father worked & retired from GM, my Grandpa worked for Ford, I have several friends & friends’ parents that worked in the auto industry. It’s just a part of life in MI, the auto industry that is. I will always and forever buy cars from GM or Ford even though I’d love to have a Subaru Outback. (That is a Seattle thing I think. I swear everyone out here has one)

I’ve owned 1 Chevette (that was my first car), 2 Saturns, 1 Geo and a Ford (this does not include the cars I’ve owned with the husband). My Dad used to come home with a new car every 3,000 miles. So I know cars. I mean I don’t know how to change the oil, even though 50% of my friends in MI do, I just get it. I get having your own transportation, vroom vroom, honk honk look at my nice new shiny car. . .

I don’t really remember seeing busses in MI. I know they have them; it’s that I just don’t remember knowing anyone that would take them. I honestly thought for a very long time it was a way for the housekeepers that lived in Detroit to get into the suburbs to work. (I know that is horrible). But it’s Detroit and why in the world would they promote public transportation when what they do is cars. (I don’t think I knew what a HOV lane was until I moved to Seattle because Detroit at the time did not ‘encourage’ carpooling).

The first bus I remember riding on was in Chicago. And they have the “L” there. That was an experience to say the least. I was probably about 20 & had no idea what to do. Who’d a thunk . . . 20 more years and I’d love it!!!

When we first moved to Seattle I was truly introduced to public transportation. We lived right in the city so I could (and did) walk to work. At first I was intimidated by the bus; but EVERYONE did it, take the bus that is. And I mean everyone. (Today I think I know more people that take public transportation bus, ferry, water taxi, sounder train than drive in Seattle) SO I was almost forced to take the bus. It was like peer pressure to take the bus (in a good way) After I figured it out, the bus pretty much picked me up at my front door & literally dropped me off right in front of my office.

A couple of weeks into my new job the then President of the company I worked for said to me:
“You are the new girl from the mid-west?”
“Yes sir”
“How do you like Seattle?”
“I love it”
“I hear you are in Queen Anne” (Queen Anne is the neighborhood in Seattle we first lived in)
“Yes sir”
“Feel free to ride your bike into work, there are showers for you to use in the main offices if you’d like”
“Thank You”

After living here & figuring it all out “the Seattle way of life” that is, I finally got use to taking the bus. So much that my 1st Staurn sat in the street for months. I got tickets on it, flat tires & had to get it jumped a handful of times. We finally decided to sell it. Then we bought a home & moved to the east-side, suburbia. We carpooled together in the mornings & I took the bus home in the evenings. (I got off of work earlier than him).

Now we have totally different schedules. I take the bus both ways. But, for the months of March & April & had a parking pass. It was lovely to have. I didn’t have to rely on the bus; I didn’t have to time my mornings/evenings to the bus schedule. Mind you my bus is a ‘commuter’ bus & it’s the same people riding it every day; not like the ‘city’ bus I used to take with all the ‘crazies’. (City bus stories - that is a whole different blog entry) But, I couldn’t take my afternoon nap and I didn’t read a stitch of anything. Now it’s May & I don’t have the parking pass. I’m back on the bus. I just finished reading Chelsea Handlers One Night Stand Book, now I’m reading The Help, and I haven’t had to fill my tank up with gas (or pay $300+ for a parking pass, just the $99 for my bus pass what a deal!!)!!!

I will never buy a foreign car, but whenever I get the chance I will do my share to be more sustainable and ride the bus, and catch up on my reading and napping. I really think taking the bus makes me a happier, healthier person.