This morning, a young woman got on the 8 with her knitting and sparked a bus-wide discussion. It started with the old ladies sitting near her in the front, then spread to the women further back, and eventually, to the punk-rock guy sitting next to me in the third row. Folks wanted to know what she was making (a scarf–it’s the only thing she’s mastered in two years of lessons) and how long it had taken her (two months so far). I got off mid-discussion, so I missed her tales of adventures in crocheting.

Last night, on the 48, I sat across from a middle-aged woman knitting a sweater. And at least twice a week, I see someone (usually a youngish woman) knitting something on the 545. (I have yet to see a man doing it–on the bus, anyway–but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.) Knitting, it appears, is enjoying a bit of a renaissance, and its prevalence on buses is as sure a sign as any.

Anyone else been seeing (or doing) any bus knitting of late?

Hot: Bus shelters with glass walls
Not: Shelters with no walls–or the mesh replacements that the let the wind in
Really not: Stops without shelters

Hot: Buses with working heaters (and drivers who turn them on)
Not: Buses with broken heaters
Really not: Passengers who open windows on days you can see your breath

Hot: Stylish, waterproof gloves that allow for maximum dexterity
Not: Big ol’, cumbersome mittens
Really not: Forgetting gloves or mittens on the bus

This month, I’ve been helping out a friend with a project that has required me to make several trips to Ballard. Normally, I take the 27 (or the 4) downtown and then catch the 17 or 18, but this morning I broke my rule about transferring (choose the itinerary that provides the most options at the transfer point) and tried the 48+44 route that Trip Planner suggested. I let love (wanted to ride the 48 with Bus Nerd like I usually do) and curiosity (never ridden the 44 before) get in the way of my own good sense, and I paid the price with a windy, 40-minute wait at 15th & 42nd.

Apparently, there was a major accident somewhere on the route, and the bus I finally caught was over an hour behind schedule. By the time we got to Fremont, there was a 44 right behind us, so the driver started passing folks up, even (and especially) little old ladies with walkers. Did I mention it was one of those old-school trolleys, with a broken heater and leaky windows?

On Thursday, I’m taking the 17.

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.”