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Adventures in commuting and friends
Jun. 6th, 2019 04:01 pmI've started a tweet series on small observations of things from my commute, but this one won't reduce down to Tweet size just yet so I'll write it here...
I've discovered that buses are highly anxiogenic for me. I'm not entirely certain why that is. Some combination of "busses are always late" and I hate being late, particularly when a bus segment is needed for me to make a deadline or hit a transfer somewhere. There's also an immersive element to busses that isn't present on trains or subways. Those things run on fixed tracks and have well-defined and posted lists of stops. Bus stops are erratic and unknown and subject to the vagaries of traffic and road repairs.
So last evening I traveled from my workplace to Union square for a much-needed haircut and subsequent dinner with MizA. That involved "walk to State St" (*) take T to Sullivan, take bus from Sullivan to near-enough. It was that last bit that sort of stressed me, kind of helped out by the fact that Gmaps now marks bus stops on its provided routes.
So I'm chugging along on this bus, checking every so often, and I discover that, according to my map/GPS at least, we are well off-course. I walk up to the front to speak to the driver who confesses that it's his first day on this route and there's a closure that he was supposed to go around and he's missed a turn.
I explain that he can get back on course by turning left at the intersection we're presently approaching.
Him: "I don't think I can turn left here"
Me: "You can definitely turn left here; turn left here."
I show him the map on my phone and where we are and where the line is showing the route he ought to be following. He turns left and we sort of noodle back toward where we ought to be. Fortunately for all concerned, this is a part of Somerville I know pretty well, especially with an interactive map in my hand.
I get him pointed in the right direction and decide that with this level of traffic it's going to be faster for me to get out and walk. I confirm that he knows where he'll be once he gets to the next intersection and makes the appropriate turn, and off I go.
Me, the anxious one, having rescued the bus, driver, and passengers because I'm anxious and keep checking my phone. G-d is an iron.
Haircut managed, MizA and I had mediocre margaritas and excellent food followed by extremely new age ice cream. By that point I had sort of missed the semi-convenient train and I was faced with another bus-to-bus-to-train route. And I had well over 12,000 steps for the day.
I decided that was enough for the day and called a Lyft because I have money and can do this kind of thing. Also, MizA was nice and bought me tasty Mexican food in honor of my birthday so I bought myself a ride home.
I need to figure out how to tell Lyft "Please don't give me drivers who are playing right-wing talk radio. Like, ever."
(*) Why are the entrances to this specific station so much worse than all others? Like, the signage is nil and if you're about a block off you can't really see where the station is by glancing around. Terrible.
I've discovered that buses are highly anxiogenic for me. I'm not entirely certain why that is. Some combination of "busses are always late" and I hate being late, particularly when a bus segment is needed for me to make a deadline or hit a transfer somewhere. There's also an immersive element to busses that isn't present on trains or subways. Those things run on fixed tracks and have well-defined and posted lists of stops. Bus stops are erratic and unknown and subject to the vagaries of traffic and road repairs.
So last evening I traveled from my workplace to Union square for a much-needed haircut and subsequent dinner with MizA. That involved "walk to State St" (*) take T to Sullivan, take bus from Sullivan to near-enough. It was that last bit that sort of stressed me, kind of helped out by the fact that Gmaps now marks bus stops on its provided routes.
So I'm chugging along on this bus, checking every so often, and I discover that, according to my map/GPS at least, we are well off-course. I walk up to the front to speak to the driver who confesses that it's his first day on this route and there's a closure that he was supposed to go around and he's missed a turn.
I explain that he can get back on course by turning left at the intersection we're presently approaching.
Him: "I don't think I can turn left here"
Me: "You can definitely turn left here; turn left here."
I show him the map on my phone and where we are and where the line is showing the route he ought to be following. He turns left and we sort of noodle back toward where we ought to be. Fortunately for all concerned, this is a part of Somerville I know pretty well, especially with an interactive map in my hand.
I get him pointed in the right direction and decide that with this level of traffic it's going to be faster for me to get out and walk. I confirm that he knows where he'll be once he gets to the next intersection and makes the appropriate turn, and off I go.
Me, the anxious one, having rescued the bus, driver, and passengers because I'm anxious and keep checking my phone. G-d is an iron.
Haircut managed, MizA and I had mediocre margaritas and excellent food followed by extremely new age ice cream. By that point I had sort of missed the semi-convenient train and I was faced with another bus-to-bus-to-train route. And I had well over 12,000 steps for the day.
I decided that was enough for the day and called a Lyft because I have money and can do this kind of thing. Also, MizA was nice and bought me tasty Mexican food in honor of my birthday so I bought myself a ride home.
I need to figure out how to tell Lyft "Please don't give me drivers who are playing right-wing talk radio. Like, ever."
(*) Why are the entrances to this specific station so much worse than all others? Like, the signage is nil and if you're about a block off you can't really see where the station is by glancing around. Terrible.
