In January, I wrote:

Yesterday, in the spirit of celebrating the Seahawks’ first playoff win in over 20 years, DBH [known to PI readers as Bus Nerd] and I decided to brave the rain and go out to one of our favorite restaurants. As we waited for the bus after dinner, I noticed a half-eaten bag of chips on the ledge underneath the display window of a neighboring store. I would have assumed it was litter, but the bag was rolled down neatly and placed out of the direct sight of passersby, as if someone had left it there for safekeeping. I found it odd enough to point out to DBH.

Our bus driver for the evening was a man we recognized from another route–one that takes us to a doughnut/coffee shop we like. The stop where we got on is at the end of the line, and there is usually a short layover between the end of one run and the beginning of another. He let us on the bus and then got off, returning a few moments later with his mouth covered in crumbs and his hand buried deep in the very bag of chips I had just noticed on the ledge.

I will leave you to furnish your own explanation.

Last night, we took the 14 to Top Pot (the doughnut/coffee shop mentioned above) and saw none other than the chip-eating driver. This was not especially surprising, since, on the days he drives the 14, he always announces the Top Pot stop, and sometimes, he drops in to grab a snack on his layover. Last night he was apparently off duty, so he ate in. While the rest of us gobbled sugary, greasy confections, the chip-eating driver partook of: an orange. As far as I know, Top Pot doesn’t even sell oranges.

Perhaps he had stashed it on a nearby ledge.

Way back in June, Sean98125 posed this question:

“Just out of curiosity – how many of the dedicated non-car owners here are raising kids?”

Recently, I asked my friend Coby (aka Bus Chick’s favorite rock star) to weigh in. Coby was a bus-based dad for several years and has only recently begun using a car (a gift from a friend who no longer needed it), so he’s well qualified to speak on the subject. Here’s what he had to say:

As far as the bus-based life with a kid goes, it’s obviously a bit less convenient than just jumping in a car, but I did it for 5 years and it worked pretty well. The key is to live in a good location. We’re near 55th and 25th, so we’re close to the U-district hub of bus routes, we’re midway between North Seattle and Cap Hill/CD, we’re ten minutes walking from QFC and Safeway, and ten minutes or so from the Ave, so everything we need is either walkable or easily accessed via bus. Groceries were difficult, but the boy is getting stronger, and so recently I’ve been loading him up as much as is ethical. Also, if you miss a bus and have to wait a long time, you have to make sure your kid has something to do to occupy him or her until the next bus comes (Nate has an iPod).

I miss the purely car free life. A prime example of why was on Halloween. We walked down to U-Village to get Nate’s costume, (I’d procrastinated). His main trick or treating was to be done at U-Village, as it’s so convenient to go from shop to shop rather than trekking up and down the blocks of the neighborhood in the cold. I’d forgotten the camera and we went back home to get it. We would have walked back, but I was pressed for time to go to the wedding reception. So, to save time, we drove to U-Village, and then spent five minutes circling and looking for parking because the lots were packed. The time saved driving was offset by the time spent looking for parking. A car is equal parts convenience and hassle.

I also asked him how his son, Nathan, liked the bus–whether he thought it was cool or wanted to ride in a car with the other kids.

When Nathan was 5 and 6 he loved the bus more than the car, and still likes it. He loved reading the schedules, and he loved looking out the window and getting a chance to pull the cord or push the tape. He was amused and excited by how much everything vibrated and bounced and shook, I think it felt like an amusement park ride to him. Now he likes them equally I think, as the bus has all the cool stuff it always had, but the car has a CD player.

Coby and Nathan on Halloween

P.S. – If you’re interested in learning how a family of five gets along without a car, check out Alan Durning’s blog.

Yesterday, I caught a late-evening 55 at the layover location at the beginning (or end, depending on which way you’re going) of the route. The driver was on a break–chillin’ inside the bus with the doors closed, deeply engrossed in a book. He was so engrossed, in fact, that he didn’t notice me standing at the stop. He kept reading right up until it was time for him to take off, then closed the book and started pulling away without opening the doors. I caught him before he got away, but I wasn’t nearly as concerned about being left behind as I was about getting in his business. Being the book nerd that I am, I had to know what had captured his attention like that.

“What are you reading?” I asked, as soon as he had finished apologizing.
“I am from Ethiopia,” he said. “I am reading a history of my country.”
“What a coincidence,” I said. “So am I.”