Riding the Metro

I rode the bus into town yesterday! It was scary/exciting and really fun all at the same time. I had to pick up the babysitter, drop her off with all the kids, and drive to the park and ride by 4:46pm in order to ride the bus to arrive downtown at 5:18pm to catch the train to the Reliant Center. I was a little late in getting there, and that was nerve-wracking not knowing if I missed it or how soon the next one would come.

I didn't wait very long, maybe three minutes, and then the bus came. I was all jazzed to get on board and grabbed my bag and pulled out my money... but buses are like elevators--you gotta politely stand to the side and let everyone get out so that you can go in afterwards. With everyone coming home from work, that meant another three minutes of waiting for them all to get out.

Finally, I was able to board. I had three dollars out, ready to pay. My first dollar wouldn't go in the machine, and the bus driver informed me that it was only a dollar. So I picked the crispest dollar and attempted to get that in the machine. She looked at me with her tired eyes, waved her hand and said, "Just sit down." I looked up to find that I was the only passenger on the bus. Cool! I said, "Oh, thank you!" and sat right in the front, gripped the rail in front of me, and leaned forward for the ride. I was two years old all over again with a big smile on my face.

It was fun to be up high -- I could look the semi-truck drivers in the face. One of them got too close and the bus driver was telling him how to drive (kind of like how I do, but in a much smaller vehicle). I chatted with her because she was chatty and Josh had told me to use my big belly to see if the driver would have pity and get me closer to the train stop because I was facing a four-block walk after getting off the bus.

So I mentioned that I had to catch the train to the Reliant Center and she immediately pushed a button and a pass came out of the machine behind her. She pulled it out and handed it to me. "This is a transfer so you don't have to pay to ride the train." I was not believing my luck! "Thank you! So do I have to put this into something?" She said I just needed to show it if someone asked to see it. She asked what was happening at the Reliant Center and I told her about Dave Ramsey and how he teaches people to stay out of debt. She said she probably needed to come with me, and I laughed. Then she asked how long I was going to be there and I told her and then she reached for the ticket she had just given me and I gave it to her. She put it in the machine to the side of her (the one I couldn't get my dollar into) and pushed the button behind her and another ticket came out. She handed it to me and said, "This will get you down and back. It's good until this time tomorrow." Shoot! This lady either loved chatting, felt sorry for me and my big belly, or was just dang cool like that. "Wow! Thank you!"



We were making good time because the driver said she wanted to stop at the store and get some water. I offered her my unopened, chilled water bottle, but she wouldn't take it. (Maybe taking water from a pregnant lady is a sin in her eyes.) Then she told me about her three kids; boy, girl, boy; 9, 6, and 2. I listened to her stories, she asked me about my kids, and then we moved on to her job and what kind of license and drivers' tests she had to take and how much it costs ($60 for her license!) and how long she had been driving a bus and did she have to do the same route everyday (no) and if cops ever pulled buses over for speeding (they do!). See, a good friend (or about-to-be-moochy friend) listens and asks question--and I was working it. I learned a lot in the process, too.

We got close to town fairly quickly and there were tons more buses and we were going slower. I asked if she knew all the people driving. She said, "Not her!" referring to the bus that signaled to come into our lane, but took forever to do it, "She can't drive. I don't know what she's waiting for. When I change lanes and they don't want to let me in, I'm coming anyway!" I laughed and said that I had never heard a bus driver bash another one and she replied, "You saw that with yo' own eyes," and then "Girl..." and then she switched lanes to get out from behind the other bus. I was having a blast! A free ride on a bus all to myself with a driver with an attitude.

She did a very complicated exit, changing from 59 to 10 to the 45 and I got all turned around. By the time we were on Jefferson Street, I had lost my sense of direction (it's not a very strong sense anyway so it didn't take much for me to lose it). Luckily, she practically drove me to the train stop. I only had to cross one street and there I was. With another "Thank you!" and "Have a nice night!" I grabbed my bag and joined the masses on the streets of downtown Houston.

The whole time, I was keeping in contact with Josh. He was catching the train a couple of stops ahead of me, so we needed to time it just right for me to catch the same train. And it went over without a hitch. Standing on the platform, it's really not as scary as you think. There is a clock, there are signs showing the stops along the route, and there is a nice recording that tells you that the next bus is arriving in one minute and to stand behind the white safety line so you don't get whacked. I took the opportunity to eat a snack and take a swig of my water bottle.

When I jumped on the train, Josh was sitting facing two filipino ladies, and I sat next to him. This is a very strange lesson in train riding etiquette which is cousin to elevator etiquette--you just instinctively get this within seconds of being thrown in this position. You have to sit facing two other people, try not to touch knees, and not make eye contact. In other words, you have to pretend like they're not there. And to be polite, they pretend like you're not there either. They spoke in Tagalog the whole time and did a very good job of ignoring us--even when I did happen to make eye contact accidentally.

The worst part was trying to contain my excitement about riding the train for the first time to keep from looking like a freak and embarrassing my appropriately-dressed husband. Just about everyone was in business attire or some kind of uniform. I was sporting comfy pregnancy attire--a t-shirt dress and Crocs. Everyone had the "been there done that" bored look of someone who rode the train all the time. I really had to tone it down and focus on pretending to be a mature individual who was just as bored and experienced with life on the train.

I never did show my ticket to anyone. No one asked. No one asked to see Josh's either. He scored an all day pass from someone at his train stop. Instead of putting the dollar into the machine for a one way ride, he gave it to some dude in exchange for a normally $2 all day pass. So we both scored on the transportation costs, but what would keep people from just hopping on the train without having paid? It's way too easy. I wonder what happens if you get caught. Do they just kick you off? Or do they make you pay a fine? Well, I'll include a picture of my pass for fun.

When we got to our destination, we walked all over Reliant Park before we were able to get in to the right place. After the event, it was an easier walk to get back to the train stop. When we were on the train Josh turned to me and said, "So are you going to be OK taking the bus back? Do you want me to take the bag?" And we both laughed. Hey, I liked riding the train and the bus today, but not that much. Besides, I don't want to get too experienced and bored with life riding the train.