Last week I decided that if what I miss most about Chicago is the public transit, then why can’t I make that work here in Austin? I should explain that I have a preexisting aversion to the bus. The people on the bus in Houston are either crazies who talk to themselves or people who can’t afford to get their cars fixed. The light rail is a different story, though. That’s for urbanites who work in the med center or commute to downtown from their lofts in midtown. So I’d ridden the light rail plenty of times, but never the bus. Because, DUH, I AM COOL. In fact, the only buses I’ve ridden IN MY LIFE were in Mexico, from Acapulco to León Guanajuato, and in Toronto, where I had no idea where I was and let the non-boyfriend-thing put my funny money in the machine because I was all, “HUH?”
So on our first day in Chicago, when we dropped our luggage off at the Hyatt (took a taxi, natch) and asked directions to something or other and the door man suggested we go to the bus stop, I was all “Yeah, no. No bus. Let’s take the L.” Much cooler, right?? Um, no. Because we had to walk like 7 blocks through a quasi-seedy part of town (did see some cool architecture, though) where Dave chatted with a random stranger and after he left, said, “That guy has definitely been to prison.” On the other hand, on that little walk, I did get this cool shot:
Anyway, I exaggerate. It wasn’t that bad, but it WAS silly to walk all that way to take the L when there was a bus stop right outside our hotel. So we learned to ride the bus. Not “we,” “I.” I learned to ride the bus.
So here we are. I rode the light rail 2 days last week, and it was an hour commute each way, and about a mile of walking. For a commute that is 9 minutes by car. I still enjoyed myself, reading and playing Words With Friends and feeling superior to those poor souls chained to their cars and commutes. Seriously, even with all that time, it was liberating to know that a few dollars and my feet could take me wherever I wanted in Austin. But there had to be a faster way. And for whatever reason, Austin’s bus riders are NOT crazies (maybe Houston’s weren’t either. Like I said, I never rode those buses.) and I began to look at bus route maps, craned my neck at bus stop signs while I was driving, and I think I’ve got it down.
Ready? Here it go.
To work: I walk 1.5 blocks to the bus stop, where I’m picked up by the 18 at 8:02. I get off in front of the capitol, wait about 5-10 minutes and take the 9 west and get off at Lamar at around 8:28 and walk 1/2 block to work. Under 30 minutes, y’all! With minimal walking (read: minimal sweating).
To home: Same thing, in reverse. I can take the 9 at 4:43 and be home by 5:15 or take the 5:23 and be home just before 6.
So I bought a bus pass, 1 month for $28 and I can’t see a reason to drive my car to work. Except for groceries. I can get groceries at lunch, but then I’m totally the bag lady waiting for the bus in the afternoon. Who knows, I might even be talking to myself.
