The wisdom of bus ladies

When I was pregnant with Chicklet, folks I met on buses and at stops regularly inquired about the gender of my bus-bundle-to-be. Some of them (almost always middle-aged to older women) were sure they already knew. “It’s a girl,” they announced confidently, almost to a woman. “I can tell because of the way you’re carrying/how tired you look/the curl in your hair.” (OK, they didn’t mention my hair, but I’m pretty sure my fingernails came up a time or two.) Back then, I knew they were right (since I’d chosen to find out Chicklet’s gender) and was duly impressed by their powers. How do they do that?*

Nerd and I have chosen not to find out the gender of Bus Baby #2, and, for some reason, I haven’t been getting as many (really, any) bus-based gender predictions. Or, at least, I hadn’t. Last Friday, as Chicklet and I were waiting to board the 8**, we moved aside to let a middle-aged bus lady off. She took one look at us and exclaimed, “Oh wow! A baby boy!” I was confused at first, since Chicket is a girl (though she was wearing a raincoat with a hood) and not really a baby anymore, until the woman put her hand on my belly and gave it a vigorous rub. “How wonderful,” she said. “Now you’ll have one of each.”

And so, it seems, it is settled. The power of the bus lady cannot be denied.

Guess this’ll narrow down our name options.

*I need to know, since, in the not-too-distant future, I will be a middle-aged bus lady.
**Have I mentioned how much I love that the 8 runs every day now? Sunday afternoon cravings for greasy fries (and tartar!) from Dick’s can finally be indulged.

Art and the politics of transportation

If you’re going to be anywhere near SoCal between now and December 11th, go see LA artist Diane Meyer’s provocative new photography exhibit, Without a Car in the World (100 Car-less Angelinos Tell Stories of Living in Los Angeles).

Car-free artist Melba Thorne (photo by Diane Meyer, via Green LA Girl)

Here’s an excerpt from Green LA Girl’s review:

Without a Car pairs photo portraits of 100 L.A.-area residents (including me!) with brief quotes from their interviews about car-free living. Far from a simple hurrah for automobile-free living, the exhibit features interviews both from those who are proud of their car-free lifestyles to others who sound deeply unhappy about a car-less-ness that’s been imposed on them, whether due to financial concerns, disability, or other reasons.

In fact, the juxtapositions of these points of view are what makes Without a Car especially poignant. One Angeleno talks about how taking public transportation’s so much easier and convenient than people think it is. Another expounds on the difficulties of getting around by bus — how long it takes, how unreliable the system seems.

[…]

What the exhibit makes clear is that going car-free’s an extremely individual experience — and that race and class play heavily into how pleasant that experience is going to be.

This looks (and sounds) absolutely amazing. If you’re able check this out, hit me up (or comment), and let me know what you think.

And one more…

This one’s for transit-geek types:

Transit Applications and Data Workshop

What: A workshop for developers who make (or want to make) software applications using Metro’s data.

Do you develop applications using transit data, or are you interested in doing so? Come to a free workshop hosted by King County Metro Transit and tell us how we can partner with you to make it easier. The event will include a panel discussion, an opportunity for participants to demonstrate their applications, a breakout session for exploring specific topics such as data feeds, real-time information, and upcoming updates in Metro technology.

When: Thursday, October 22nd, 4 PM – 7 PM
Where: King Street Center
How much: Free! (Registration is required.)

This is goodness. I am glad to see Metro taking advantage of our significant local brain resources. Partnering, educating, and providing easier access to data will only benefit the agency (and all of us).

P.S. – Bus Nerd (my favorite local brain resource) is planning to attend. :)

Upcoming events for transit types

6th annual Sustainable Ballard Festival

What: A “community fair and … showcase for the activities and initiatives our neighbors have engaged in throughout the year. The 2009 Festival will feature live music, how-to workshops, fun & educational activities, local and sustainable businesses and much more!”

If you go, don’t miss the Undriving booth–one of SB’s coolest projects.

When: September 26th & 27th, 12 PM – 5 PM
Where: Ballard Commons Park, at the corner of corner of NW 57th & 22nd NW (So glad for the new 27/17 combo!)
How much: Free!

Cities, Bicycles, and the Future of Getting Around

What: “A Panel Presentation by David Byrne [Talking Heads cofounder and author of the acclaimed Bicycle Diaries], Barbara Gray [Seattle DOT], Dave Janis [Bicycle Alliance of Washington], and Mark Hinshaw [architect for LMN and author of True Urbanism].”
When: September 28, 7:30 PM
Where: Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Avenue
How much: $30 (Purchase price includes a copy of the book.)

King County Transportation Town Hall

What: A public meeting, hosted by Councilmember Larry Gossett, that will “focus on the impact light rail will have on the regional transit system, and the fiscal challenges facing Metro Transit…”

The public and the committee will receive briefings from:

• Ron Tober, Deputy CEO of Sound Transit, on the opening of Link light rail July 18,
• Metro Transit’s Victor Obeso, Manager of Service Development, and Jack Lattemann, Transportation Planner, on the integration and restructuring of bus service with the arrival of light rail,
• Metro Transit General Manager Kevin Desmond, on Metro’s budget gap and the agency’s service reduction strategy in the wake of declining revenues.

Presenters will take questions from the audience and Councilmembers will take public testimony on any issue at the end of the program.

When: September 30, 6:30 PM (Informal reception begins at 6:00.)
Where: Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club, 4520 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. (You can take Link!)
How much: Free

Also note: This is the last weekend to take the bus to the Puyallup Fair. We (that is, Chicklet, Nerd and I) did it last year, and it was easy and fun (and cheap!).

A whole new world

There was lots of shakeup talk on the buses today: rider-to-rider chatter, cell phone conversations, bus-wide discussions, and endless questions for drivers.

The new 48
Metro’s less-heavy weight

I have to say, as much as I loathe change (and as much as I will surely miss hopping the 48 for all my southbound needs), the New Bus Order actually seems to be working in my favor. Some examples of the goodness:

• The 8 now runs in my neighborhood on weekends. Folks, I have been dreaming of this day for most of my car-free life (six-and-a-half years and counting), and I cannot believe it’s actually happened. Capitol Hill (specifically, the north end of 15th Ave) will be seeing at lot more of me on Saturday afternoons.
• The 27 now connects with the 17 instead of the 25. I love this for several reasons, the most important of which is that my brother Jeremy recently moved to Ballard, and Metro now provides what amounts to a door-to-door ride from my place to his. (Much beloved) brother aside, I have a lot more reasons to go to Ballard than I do to go to Laurelhurst.* And honestly, the connection just seems to make more sense. While the 27/17 combo eliminates an already necessary transfer between the Central District and Ballard, the 27/25 combo is slower and less direct than the two-bus options (48+75 and 48+30) between the CD and Laurelhurst.**
• Now that the 14 stops at Mount Baker Station, I have four ways to connect with Link: 27 to DSTT, 4 to DSTT, 48 to Mount Baker Station, and 14 to Mount Baker Station. I don’t go to the airport all that often, but when I do, I’ll have more control of when I come and go.

I’m sure I’ll discover more things to like (and not) as I ride more.

Your turn. How have Metro’s latest changes affected you?

* No offense to all my former school buddies who lived there back in the day–I do miss our excursions to the Mr. Peepers-era U Village–or to the very alt-commute friendly Children’s Hospital.
** Really, though, there’s no fast way to get from where I live to Laurelhurst, despite the fact that it’s not all that far.

9/19: Putting the “shake” back in shake-up (or, RIP, 42)

Big (big!) bus changes take effect tomorrow. It’s a rather odd mix of light rail-related service reductions and tweaks (48 no longer runs south of McClellan*; south end of the 8 route operates on weekends (!); 14, 48, and other south-end routes now stop at the Mount Baker light rail station) and Transit Now implementations (2 and 13 have added a few daily trips).

You can find the details here.

Service changes start Saturday
Two friendly Metro types spreading the word about the changes at 3rd & Union

I am still confused about one thing: The page that lists the changes doesn’t include the 194. Does that mean it will continue to operate to the airport until the Link line is completed? I’m definitely not complaining (though, to be fair, we tried the Tukwlila Station shuttle–with Chicklet and luggage–and it was pretty painless)–just wondering.

*Guess I’ll be riding Link a little more than I originally planned. Of course, the 8 also runs south now and also stops right in front of my house; I’ll have to see what the new route is like.

Deja 2…and 3, and 4, and (alas!) 27

Folks, I wrote about this phenomenon in ’07 and am still struggling to understand.

If you were looking forward to several months free of Howyoudoin?s, Whatsyourname?s, and Youmarried?s, prepare to be disappointed. You will, in fact, continue to be propositioned — both by members of that group of discerning gentlemen who don’t bother to look at the women they’re chatting up, and by an even more disturbing group: men who are actually attracted to pregnant women. Listen, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Should I be concerned (not for myself so much as for all of humanity) that I get more play* when waddling around town with child (and wearing a wedding ring) than I did back when I was a single bus chick?

*Interestingly (or perhaps not), I am rarely bothered (pregnant or not) when I travel with Chicklet.