It’s very hot, but I’m frozen

It’s 5:40 a.m. and 79 degrees outside. I’m up early, so I can go on a walk with my kids before it gets too hot to be out. At around 6 p.m. yesterday evening—otherwise known as 98 degrees Fahrenheit—I left the living room where my family was gathered, went to my bedroom, and closed the […]

Back on the bus

It’s 2021, and we’re still deep in the pandemic. Since my last post, two people in my extended circle of love have died of Covid. Two of my closest sister-friends are currently ill. One of them has been hospitalized. Twice. Things are definitely not back to normal. And yet, several obligations that require me to […]

On busing and baby sharing

Yesterday, after tiring of the wait for my six-, then eight-, then ten-, then twelve-minute late 27, I resorted to the 4. I was immediately glad I did, despite the fact that the bus was (per usual) extra crowded, and I ended up standing in the no man’s land with poor pole access. You see, […]

My (second) favorite holiday

Bus Driver Appreciation Day is around the corner–March 18th, to be exact. Don’t forget to show your bus drivers some love. Not sure how to express your appreciation? Here are a few tips. 1. Say “thank you.” Many of us already take the time to thank our drivers as we get off the bus. (These […]

My kind of bus luh

Even if I hadn’t met my own husband on a bus, I would still be a believer in transit romance. Yes, I know all about the awkward, irritating, and otherwise unpleasant interactions with folks you’d rather not get acquainted with (believe me, I could write a book). I also know that buses and trains are […]

You know you’re reading a good book if…

1) You don’t mind (or even notice) the stuffy, crowded, Smooth Jazzless, late-afternoon 4, and 2) You almost miss your stop–on a ride to pick up the two sweet babies you’ve been missing all day. Thank you, Isabel Wilkerson.

More glossary excavation (or, relief from all the baby talk)

Recently, I found myself sitting at a coffee shop a few feet from one of my bus crushes from back in the day. It reminded me of this post (and this one)—and of the whole bus crush phenomenon. Bus crush, n: 1. Feelings of overwhelming admiration–occasionally, though not necessarily, of a romantic nature–for a fellow […]

2010: the bus year in review

Best ride of 2010: Easy: first ride with my sweet boy. (It didn’t hurt that it was on the 27.) More on the joys of busing with Busling in a few weeks, on his birthday. Worst ride of 2010: Also easy: that terrible, terrible, morning-after-MLK-Day 4 ride. That one just might qualify as the worst […]

A bus contest!

Think you ride America’s best bus route? Submit a photo and brief description to this contest (sponsored by Good Magazine and NYC’s Transportation Alternatives), and you could win a fabulous prize package! What is it about your bus route that you love? Is your bus driver brilliant? Is the view from your window breathtaking? Do […]

Thanks (again) for the ride!

Tomorrow is Bus Driver Appreciation Day. (Two holidays in one week!) Since last year, I’ve learned that Metro drivers are not allowed to accept gifts, but (as far as I know) there’s no rule against letting your favorite drivers know their hard work matters to you. So thanks, Busfather, Smooth Jazz, DJ, and all the […]

writing. riding.

Search Results for: smooth jazz