I know it's going to be a day when the only thing worth writing about is just how crabby the #9 bus makes me when it rains.
(Yes, Facebook friends, it's a status update there too. If I send an e-mail to Bill, it'll be a bonafide multi-website bitch session!)
Most of this summer, I biked to work 4 days of every 5......down the truck route, under the freeway, squeezing through the one-lane-only crunch on East Berkeley....because it is, absolutely, the fastest way to cover 2.35 miles. Rusty brakes, flattish tires, tired legs and all.
Those of you in Minneapolis and in Pipestone and in upstate New York are saying "2.35 miles....takes, what, 5 minutes?" Hmmm. Biking--including racking, Dunkin' Donuts run and the elevator ride to desk--is 15 minutes on the long end. Walking is 40, although faster if Michael Jackson is on the iPod. Driving is 30 with stoplights and walking the 4 blocks back from the parking lot.
Today the #9 bus took 40 minutes. As in, with Michael Jackson help, I could have walked faster.
Look at the route (by clicking on the interactive map version behind the schedule). All those circled Ts? That's every time a passenger can load or unload....which is every corner. And we haven't even discussed double-parked delivery trucks on Broadway. Or Southie street-crossers, whose need to get to the bank means stepping in front of a bus is right-of-way they've earned. Then tack-on rain or snow, which triples the number of commuters getting on. Laboriously. With their umbrellas. And wet briefcases. And strollers with children going to daycare 6 blocks down. And inability to step to the back. And inexact change.
Then I got off the bus. Stranded in the Hancock wind tunnel, sideways rain preventing me from holding my head up, it was a bike commuter who cut me off in the crosswalk with 6 inches of clearance and an extra puddle splash for fun.
God, I love this city!
**Thx, Universal Hub, for another shout-out.
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3 comments:
Ugh... Karin, that sounds awful! This is one of the reasons I'm happy to be a freelancer. But lately I've been doing some copywriting onsite and I never understood why I was consistently arriving 5 minutes late. Until someone pointed out that the elevators are now moving at half their normal speed to conserve power. That really makes a difference if you're on a top floor!
As a former 9 Busser, I feel your pain. I used to walk home a lot because of this. Of course, they were doing construction on those condos around 4th and A back then, so that was the main bottleneck on the way in. The way home, there was Herald Street to contend with, which was what took the longest.
And forget about getting on the bus if you lived past the intersection of East and West Broadway, for the most part.
Thanks for the memories;)
@BR. I should note that I have boycotted the 9 returning to Southie from 4-7 p.m. due to the Herald Street sit-around. Oa couple occasions I could have walked from Tremont to the Broadway Bridge then back, then walked home, and still would have beat the bus.
I hope the 9 drivers don't think I hate them now....most of them say good morning even on days like yesterday, and most of the delay is not their fault.
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