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October 18, 2006
Breath of fresh air
I think it's official: the CTA is a pain in my ass. To wit: yesterday, I get out of class and go hang out in the library for a bit, and do some reading. About 6:15, I roll down to the Chicago Ave. Red Line stop, and wait for the train to come take me home. Fifteen minutes later (with it being rush hour, there should be one every 5-7 minutes), I am still waiting. The platform fills with commuters, until everyone is standing in lines 8 people deep.
A train finally arrives, but it is so full nobody can board it. I see another train coming up right behind it, but that one is too full. I said those immortal words to myself, and decided to take the bus home. If you've been reading, you know what I think about the efficacy of the bus. So, I waited about ten minutes for the bus, and finally one comes. Needless to say, it is too full for anyone to get on. But... Then my savior! Another bus is right behind it, and there is nobody on that one, and that one finally brought me home.
Today, I didn't learn my lesson. Again I got on the bus, and my ride home was going just fine until we got to about Division St., when a homeless man boarded. This wasn't a big deal, but as he passed me, I got a very strong whiff of poop. Lots and lots of poop. The bus soon filled with the stench of stale poop, and it was overwhelming: people put their shirts over their noses; a guy in a tracksuit talking too loudly on the phone complained about it; and more than a few people got off the bus. A few blocks later, the driver pulled over and opened all the windows.
I decided to stick it out, my face crinkled into an unhappy scowl, until finally I got to my stop. Never had I been so happy to breath the dirty, grimy air of the city than when I finally got off that bus.
Posted by oz115 at October 18, 2006 02:43 PM