April

Wowza, is it gonna be April already?  Don't forget to grab your new pass on Tuesday morning! 

curling up with a good book...

It may be counterintuitive that one of the only places I get to do that is on my commute; thinking of the public bus doesn't typically conjure images typically involving snuggling up with a warm pile of pillows, a cup of tea (or coffee, as we are in the Pacific Northwest), and some choice reading material.  But on Friday, with the weird snow-slush-rain-hail, the #1 passed my stop when I was a block away on Lawrence.  I headed down to the stop by Starbucks with the shelter and waited until the next one (did I mention I love that I only have 15 minutes to wait whenever I miss this line?  Just enough to walk a few blocks, shake off some tension, and sit for a few minutes).  It was a wonderful thing to step onto that heated bus, peel off my hat and coat and pull out my book to get lost in its pages. 

Jennifer, student

Causing a Bus Ruckus

        Yep, I caused a ruckus on the bus yesterday.  I travel to Seattle at least twice a week via the 594 for an internship in the art department of Anthropologie.  At first, the hour commute was taking a toll on my agenda to get stuff done (which consists of too many side projects; not enough homework), but I have come to find the commute to be a great time to work on projects.  At work, I am around so many creative people and we work on some pretty outlandish art installations so I usually leave the store fully inspired.  When I board the 594, I love opening my sewing bag and pulling out the new shirt I am decking out with knotted fabric or scarf I am embroidering.  So, back to the ruckus.  My newest bustime project is hand-sewing lace decor to a plain grey t-shirt.  While the bumpiness of the busride can become a nuisance, I usually work around it, but this time it got the best of me.   The bus hit a bump and sent my thread flying under the seat across the aisle.  I kindly asked the woman next to me if she could reach under and grab it for me, and while she was nice enough to help, the bus hit another bump mid-reach.  The end of the thread stuck under her seat, but the spool rolled towards the front of the bus, then towards the back, and all around, creating a spidersweb of thread wound around the bus.  By this time, people had taken notice.  The man sitting behind me was directing everyone reaching for the spool as it rolled around the bus floor.  Finally, after a few minutes of quite the thread ruckus, the spool rolled right back to my seat and I reached down and cut it from the tangled web it had created.  I thanked everyone who had tried to catch the runaway thread spool and let some people who were still looking for it know that it returned home safely.  While I still plan on using my bustime to work on projects, I think I am going to make my next project a harness of all my tools so I don't become the bus disturbance again.

Paige, student

bus blog

I got a great xmas gift that I use on my long 1 hour 45 min commutes: a portable DVD player. Its the easiest way to pass away so much time. Of course I go through DVDs like hotcakes so I have both a Netflix and a Blockbuster account. I think I'm gonna watch all 4 seasons of House while commuting next month. Also, doesn't it just make your day when you catch all your buses at the exact times and make it to your destination earlier than you thought. That happened to me yesterday, and it was mucho nice-o.

Daniel, student

Mentholatum

There comes a moment, when one is mentally composing the next blog for this series, usually during the commute hours, when one asks oneself, “Would this be appropriate, as a reporter’s item that will encourage other UPSers to use public transport? Would this report, of the opposite of fun and games aboard public transport, turn readers off, and make them stick to their private cars?”

But then I imagined some perverse, inverted universe, if UPS were trying to encourage single car commuting. Would any blog reporting an accident, or pull-over for traffic violation, discourage anyone? Hardly, since in actual life those sightings are usual in daily car commuting, with passing motorists probably saying to themselves, that’ll never happen to me, or if so, it will be mañana, a nebulous future too indistinct to worry about. Or the passing car driver in a clunker experiences Schadenfreude, if the car in the incident is very high-end. But that kind of glee would also likely not be expressed on the blog, unless the UPS blogger is oblivious to what that kind of diatribe would do to her/his campus repute.

But speculating about jeremiads against Hummer aggressors on I-5 takes me too far from what I wanted to talk about, about what we public transport commuters should report, or suppress, in reporting about our rides. Yes, not all the experiences are pleasant, no more than for the single-car motorists. The following report is one example, but also perhaps one where the reader can use in other situations.

One afternoon, an elderly man got on the Tacoma-Seattle bus. He exuded an overpowering odor, from not having bathed for months or whatever. He sat at the front of the bus, and we riders quickly moved as far away to the back as we could—fortunately the bus was half empty that afternoon. The bus driver didn’t have the option of relocating. She was stuck there at the wheel, with the man sitting three feet away. She drove as fast as she legally could to Seattle, or maybe a little faster, while periodically telling the passengers over her intercom how sorry she was about situation. (The drivers do care about us.)

Should such a situation occur in the future, I am now prepared, thanks to someone who knows about autopsies and dissections on ripe specimens. Smear a little Mentholatum in your nostrils to suppress the stench. So now I carry a little jar of it in my book bag, and you may want to carry the same salve also, not just for the bus, but also for other occasions, if for instance in a funeral cortège car you find yourself trapped sitting next to an elderly aunt with negligent hygiene.

Fortunately, this odiferous event has never been repeated on the busses I ride. The accidents and pull-overs of single car vehicles seen from the bus windows, however, occur almost daily.

Wallace, Faculty

Spring Break in Seattle

When I first started visiting Seattle freshman year, I tended to pass two major closures on my adventures through the city: the SAM and the Transit Tunnel.  Recent experiences tell me that the two year wait was worthwhile.  Earlier this Fall I had a great time exploring the SAM and  over spring break I had the opportunity to use the Transit Tunnel for the first time.  I'll admit right now that while the Seattle transit system has always impressed me, I also find it a little overwhelming.  In Tacoma, I rely heavily on my "The bus stops here" guide and the lack of a similar comprehensive rider guide often leaves me feeling lost. When my mom and aunt came to visit for spring break, they were determined to see the sights.  Guidebook in hand, they knew where they wanted to go but had little idea of how to get there.  My normal strategy of asking for help,  getting on a bus that seemed to be going in the right direction or simply walking didn't seem like it was going to work.  When my mom mentioned the Transit Tunnel, I hadn't even realized it was reopened.  To my surprise, it worked out great.  Not only was it a cool underground building, but the stops were easy to understand and the ride across town was quick and pleasant.  Best of all, we stayed in the Ride Free Zone, meaning that even without the bus pass we didn't have to pay.

While I'm back to riding the trusty Tacoma buses now, it was great see another component of Seattle's bus system.  Perhaps it even inspired my mom and aunt to try the local bus when they go back to the midwest.

Liz, student

See Ya Next Time!

I have been riding public transportation as long as I can remember, so when I was looking at universities, I didn't even think to look into the public transportation system.  I have always just assumed that everywhere was like Portland.  But this is not the case!  However, the south sound most definitely has a good and developing transit system.  Perhaps the most fun is getting to know the drivers on the route that you take frequently.  As much is possible on the short ride from school to downtown, I appreciate the driver's sense of humor as he tells stories to whomever will lend an ear, whether he is talking about traffic developments, construction detours, or the fact that he's glad to be driving a bus rather than a horse-drawn buggy, it always makes for a good chuckle on my way downtown.  And you know that they take note when you hop off the bus at your stop and as you say "thanks" the driver says to you, "We'll see ya next time!"  So thumbs up to riding the bus and getting to know people!

Jon, Student

Thanks Tacoma!

I can't believe how lucky I am to be able to rely on public transportation in Tacoma. While I was back in California for a couple days of spring break, I had to rely so heavily on the cars of other people, because we had such a HORRIBLE public transportation system! Here in Tacoma, I can travel anywhere from UP, Fircrest, Seattle, Lakewood, or just to Pt. Defiance for a quick walk around the park. It's fantastic! Thank you, Tacoma!

 

Courtney, student

Thanks drivers!

So its easy to complain when a driver misses a stop or brakes too hard.  However, apart from the cursory 'Thanks' on the way out the door, drivers get little appreciation for what they do right.

Last week, I had a couple of rides that brought home how valuable these unsung heroes of public transit really are.  First, I had a driver who I recognized on the 7:30 Oly Express who admitted that she was new to the route and humbly asked for guidance with a cheerful disposition and good sense of humor.  Turns out, it was her second time on the route.  Having observed several drivers silently head off-route and miss stops, I really appreciated this and pitched in by pointing out stops and turns along the way.  I think its safe to say everyone on the bus appreciated this driver and enjoyed the ride.

Just two days later, I was talking to the route 11 driver (I just started on this route since they pushed back the 16 sched., a nice buffer) and found out he had been driving for Pierce Transit for 20 yrs.!  On top of that, there's apparently a guy who has been there for over 40!  Now this driver is very good natured and jovial just about every time I get on his bus.  He knows who rides his bus and waits for folks who are regulars if he can.  In discussing drivers and handling of mistakes, he noted that the best policy is for drivers to admit mistakes and apologize.  In general, he finds that riders are sympathetic under these circumstances.  My (already substantial) appreciation of drivers was raised by learning that there are now over 70 routes that new PT drivers need to learn and often they get a 'mentor' riding along on at most 2 trips with a new route. 

So the next time you feel grumpy because a driver makes a mistake think about how much of a load they take off of your shoulders on most days and instead of grumbling express some sympathy to the tough nature of their job.

Garrett, faculty

Pleasant Surprise

Have you noticed how nice all the bus drivers seem to be? Maybe I've just been getting lucky, but every bus driver I've met was friendly and helpful. They can always tell if you're a rookie to the system. I was getting on a new route, not quite sure where I was going, but I had to make it to Seattle. With my suitcase packed I sat at the bus stop before dawn hoping that I was getting it right. Unfortunately I wasn't. The bus pulled up and as I got on with my suitcase, the bus driver asked me if I was going to Point Defiance. No, I told her, I was going to the Tacoma Dome. She smiled at me sweetly and kindly explained that I wanted the bus stop on the other side of the street. She then looked up when the bus was next scheduled to come. I was mbarrassed about my mistake,but she smiled at me warmly and wished me luck. She didn't get annoyed with the hopeless girl trying to figure out the bus, but she took the time to help me with nothing expected in return.

Kayla, Student

Forgotten Pass

I, like probably a few others this month, forgot to grab my March pass. Upon stepping on the bus one bright Tuesday morning, I realized I only had an expired February pass and a $20 bill; both to which were no avail. The bus driver had two options at this point: (1) let me on the bus and (2) make me pay, or get of off the bus. Fortunately for me the driver chose the former and I was on my way to another day of learning at UPS. The bus driver not only remembered me, but was gracious enough to let me on without a pass or payment.

Nathan, student

caught without change

At the beginning of March I forgot to grab the new monthly pass and stepped on the bus with the February pass. I also had no change, was very frustrated, and told the driver I'd get the next one. She just waved me on and told me not to worry about it. Nice! Drivers aren't always so friendly; when I had no pass and had to get transfers, the driver wouldn't let me on with a transfer that had expired about half an hour before...

Jennifer, student

Fishing on the Bus

Fishing on the Bus

I’m always excited to introduce my friends to my favorite bus driver. Early afternoon, I can expect to be treated to the question, “Do you want to go fishing?” He cackles after asking the question and kneels the bus to us. Without fail, he will ask every person that steps on. He will even ask people waiting for another bus. He usually gets the stern death glare, but he keeps at it.
       
If you want someone to recognize you as a memorable bus driver, a common phrase does the trick. Whenever I think of fishing, I remember David Lynch talking about fishing for those big fish. Big fish are the ideas that are deep in the subconscious. His films are his big fish that resonate for him.
       
Big fish are in the bus. We just need to snuggle into a corner of the bus and start throwing the line. A ritual like a bus ride can dredge up some really big fish. Every time I ride the bus, I unpack my thoughts because I’m in transition and I have little worries. 

- Todd Little

Special Delight

Consider this:  The bus stop around the corner from my house is so close that, starting in the kitchen, the driver, in a walker vs. driver race to the bus stop, may win by only a length.

 

Consider also:  It is especially delightful to stroll to the bus stop and just stroll right onto the bus without having to wait for the bus to arrive.

 

With these considerations in mind, I suffered a certain sense of lost opportunity last week when, having to drive to work because of after-work errands, I drove by the bus stop just a moment ahead of the bus. 

 

Brad, Staff.

 

Leaving on time!

Yesterday, instead of staying late, I actually left work on time and was able to catch the 5:04pm (#16) to downtown.  I was able to make my next connection and got home at around 5:30pm.  Nice! 

Save the Pagwens

While in Seattle a couple of weekends ago, I grabbed some lunch and hopped on a bus, with the intention of making my way in a random direction to see if I could track down a 1960’s dress. My survey uncovered a lot of expected construction, a neat café with a tree house in front of it, and quite possible the most amazing “global warming awareness” poster that I have ever seem. The poster was hung amongst finger paintings in the window of a daycare. The poster, framed by a colorful border, read “Save the Pagwens…Dide you no that omost abot hafe of Antarctica melted.” It was moving enough to send me off the bus, in order to get a snap shot of it, which turned out well for me, because it also happened to be very close to a random vintage shop that had just what I was looking for.

Tara, Student

A New View of Tacoma on the '16'

Wow, I got so busy telling everyone else about my bus adventures that I totally spaced posting in the blog.  Here's the latest update:

After living close to 6th avenue for a year and a half, I moved this semester to a house on the Alder side of campus. Although I soon noticed the bus stop near my new house was for the "16" bus and it went downtown, I assumed it was inferior to my standard "1" bus and continued to walk to 6th Ave so as to avoid change.  I finally decided to look at other options when my 7 minute bike commute turned into a 30 minute house to downtown commute that always resulted in me being 20 minutes early for work.  The "16" has solved all of that.  Not only is the bus stop right out my door, it also leaves at a better time, is less crowded and, to my great surprise, showed me a great new side of Tacoma.  Don't get me wrong, I love 6th Ave, having walked a failing bike up it's hills more than once I have become acquainted with all of its glory. That being said, a little change is good.  The '16' started out its journey downtown through some pretty narrow neighborhood streets.  Since driving my little Saturn through these same streets still scares me, I was amazed that the bus was able to make it without incident.  Views of the sound and Mount Ranier were up next followed by some Tacoma classics- Stadium high school, Rankos pharmacy and Frisko Freeze. It was a lovely start to my day and while the route may not have been the most direct way downtown.the views were definitely worth it.

Liz, student

Missing the bus

Subject: Missing the Bus

So, after a lovely afternoon of rowing on Lake Union, a friend and me started back to the bus stop. Wanting to keep moving, we decided to keep going down the bus route, thinking we would be able to catch the bus further down. After about 10 minutes of walking, we were stuck waiting for traffic to subside, when we saw our bus driving past. We continued along our journey, eventually walking what seemed like the whole route of the bus we were trying to catch, wandering to from one end of Seattle to the other. All in all, not a bad hike.

Tara, Student

Sounder follow-up

Last week’s blog, recounting my experimental first-time-ever ride on the Sounder, though written on that Friday, didn’t get posted until the following Monday. Today’s blog will also go out this week, since next week is Spring Break, when I’ll be working out of state. The blog will be a follow-up on the preceding, as a commentary on Monday’s and Tuesday’s Sounder commute. This time I took the Sounder because of the rain forecast. Rain may slow down I-5 traffic with inconvenient accidents, but not the Sounder. Yet the more important reason is that when it rains, I tend not to want to walk Pacific Avenue, being not a “singing-in-the-rain” -sort-of-person. Brief explanation: my choices when catching the Seattle-Tacoma Express Bus, is the one leaving shortly after 6 AM and the one leaving shortly around 6:15. But for the latter I have to wait around for 15 to 20 minutes, which is a bore, and for that reason have never been attracted to the idea of standing around fishing. The earlier bus service, however, goes directly from the Dome Station to I-5, skipping downtown, so I get off at the Jack-in-the-Box on 25^th and walk down Pacific and Commerce at 10^th to wait for the #11 bus. A wonderful, sight-variegated walk. Sometimes another Seattle commuter, accompanies me part way, a lawyer who works at the Federal Court House and who shares an interest in history, as well as a boss who is married to one of our deans. This commuting blog should be about what the pass allows you to do on foot, not just on the bus, or Sounder train. More about that in some future posting.

However, for now, back to the Sounder To catch the one leaving the King Street Station at 6:10, I have to leave about 15 minutes earlier than the usual 5:40 AM deadline for catching the first bus. (People who groan about getting up at 7 AM bring no plaintiff strains of sympathetic violins out from me, having grown up on a ranch where before-dawn risings to feed cattle and to check on pregnant heifers were normal.) Now once you are aboard the Sounder, you don’t need to worry about sloppy drivers and bad weather fouling up the traffic on I-5. Though the ride won’t be a smooth one (see previous blog), what you can do, is spread out. You have the run of the roost. Most seats are empty, even the ones with tables. If some yahoo is yakking away on a cell phone, you can find escape into another level of the train carriage, or into another carriage altogether.

Monday morning, because of the change in time, the trip started and ended in darkness, and the upper train level has lost its scenic advantage, so on Tuesday I moved down to the bottom train level, to a different riding experience. Down there the train doesn’t seem to lumber along, but instead seems veritably to race along, without many bumps and grinds. When “rosy-fingered dawn” and visible daylight eventually reappear, I may move back up, or perhaps not. A question of comfort vs. scenic vistas.

Wallace, Faculty

Sounder

Last week, I spoke poetically or Homeric ally of rosy-fingered dawn increasingly lightening up the view and distractions visible from the bus windows during the morning commute from Seattle to UPS. Since the clock change this weekend will for a while darken the commute again, this Friday I took advantage of the soon-to-end dawning daylight to use the Puget pass to ride the Sounder train, even though I had to leave at 5:20 rather than 5:40 to catch it. Fortunately there was a rosy-fingered dawn this morning, rather than the furry-paw fog of yesterday which enfolded us in dense mist. Mt. Rainier today was readily visible, and looked even more spectacular than usual. The train ride was a first time experiment, which I was eager to compare with the similar double-decked trains I’d recently ridden between Dallas and Ft. Worth My findings: trains in both systems are similarly double-decked, roomy and new, and the stations along the way are also new. However, the rail tracks here are not new, in contrast to those in Texas (or Europe). Along the old tracks, the Sounder lurches and sways, creaks and clacks, more so if you are elevated in the upper deck. The ride, in other words, has “character,” like the character lines one acquires after a certain age. But no problem, unless you are like the princess distressed by the pea under her lowest-most mattress. No one will ever be asked to perform brain surgery on the Sounder. Will I repeat this “experiment” in the future? More on my next blog. One has to ration these reports, since most commutes are usually so uneventful and not worth reporting, thank heavens.

Wallace, Faculty

missing the bus

Yesterday I stayed late at work, and so was particularly eager to get home and start studying for those looming midterms.  My normal bus, the 1, passed right in front of me and left the stop before I could get there.  Feeling antsy, I decided to walk down to the depot on Commerce and take it from there.  As I approached I crossed the street--to watch it pull away without me, on the wrong side and to far too flag it down.  I wound up catching the 11, the first bus that came that would go near UPS.  Once on board, I realized how much I appreciate being able to zone out and let someone else handle the road.  We went through neighborhoods of Tacoma I don't normally see and passed a pub a friend had mentioned in conversation; it renewed a desire to just jump on a random bus one day and see where it goes (especially now that I can do it for free).

Jennifer, student

Wait or walk...

Ever wonder whether you should wait for that bus to arrive or walk one stop further down the line?  Well, some mathematicians have and they  worked out the answer.  Too bad they didn't talk to Stephen Dubner first.  I think he's got it right, if anything, walking back one stop makes the most sense.  It raises the probability of getting on a bus at a very crowded stop and/or at rush hour and raises the probability of getting a good seat, or any seat for that matter. 

I think this is a bigger issue in more urban areas where buses are more crowded in general and the stops are closer together.  When I lived in Toronto I'd often do this bus stop leapfrog.  Of course there, there are more overlapping routes so going forward or back one stop may increase the number of possible buses (or streetcars where they exist) you might hop on.

Of course, there's nothing worse (OK, maybe some things are worse...) than getting caught between stops and watching your bus roll by as you look on forlornly or break into a sprint in a futile attempt to catch it.

Perhaps this is a bigger issue around here for we bus/bike riders due to the real scarcity of bus rack space (2 per bus generally on Pierce T.).  Again, as a grad student in Santa Cruz (OK, so I'm getting carried away with the links, its just such an amazing place), I often would see several fellow bikers who had arrived ahead of me at a stop and I (self interested economist that I am) would pedal on to try and grab that bike rack spot a stop before.  I've never seen this happen but the game theorist in me wonders what might happen if two (or three) cyclists were to each attempt this strategy (in some sense its like the centipede game), competitively pedaling further and further up the route away from their destination.

Garrett, Faculty

bus riding thoughts

One of the chief pleasures of riding public transport, especially on the long Seattle-Tacoma run, is freedom from the worries of single car drivers. No one is going to subject bus riders to drive-by shootings, probably because we’re not very individually visible, sitting high as we do behind darkened windows. Some car driver who wants the thrill of road rage will take it out on someone of equal or lesser size. What car, even a Hummer or Escalade, would challenge a bus to a game of chicken? At least those were some of the things I was speculating about the other morning, in between moments of reading, and also gazing at Mt. Rainier. Though I still start my morning commute in the dark of night, by the time the bus is half-way to Tacoma, rosy-fingered dawn has brought the mountain to visible life. Did Homer use epithets for mountains, as for the dawn and the sea? Hmm. Any epithet for Mt. Rainier would have to have some heft, like his “earth-shaker Poseidon” or “big-hearted,” “much enduring” Odysseus. In a bus one can speculate about such matters, and gaze wonderingly at the mountain, and not have to worry about inadvertently running one’s car off the road, or instigating road rage.

Wallace, Faculty