getting lost in the weeds
There is a bus (more like a shuttle) that runs up and down 16th street mall in Denver. It's mostly used by tourists who go from t-shirt shop to McDonald's to the hotel. Or by downtown workers who use it as part of their commute. It goes up and down the same 14-some blocks. Starts at Civic Station. Ends at Union Station. Sometimes there is a bus as frequently as every 3 minutes. Sometimes, on off-peak days and during off-peak hours, buses come every half an hour. Up and down. Day in and day out.
I use this bus because I live two blocks from Civic Center Station and I'm tired of fighting the traffic with my bicycle when I can walk and bus for free without getting riled up with fists clenched. Instead I get to people-watch while sitting on a seat tucked away in the corner of the back of the bus.
But today. Today I was coming back and there was a paramedic vehicle parked on 16th st. which meant that the bus, MY bus, got to be a renegade bus. Oh yes. We broke free from the vein and invisible binding tracks of 16th st. We turned left and then right onto 17th st. Oh yes! We blended into the rush-hour traffic, other larger 'real' buses surrounding us, honks and the melange of everyday life.
Next stop, Civic Center Station. If you need to get off earlier, let me know.
And then the bargaining begins of where the passengers want to be dropped off and then the negotiation of the traffic to let them off.
I can't tell you how my heart and stomach soared! The feeling of freedom, as if we absconded, was overwhelming. I looked through the rear window and felt like from this point on, nothing would be the same.
And then we parked in the station and everything was exactly how it always was.
I use this bus because I live two blocks from Civic Center Station and I'm tired of fighting the traffic with my bicycle when I can walk and bus for free without getting riled up with fists clenched. Instead I get to people-watch while sitting on a seat tucked away in the corner of the back of the bus.
But today. Today I was coming back and there was a paramedic vehicle parked on 16th st. which meant that the bus, MY bus, got to be a renegade bus. Oh yes. We broke free from the vein and invisible binding tracks of 16th st. We turned left and then right onto 17th st. Oh yes! We blended into the rush-hour traffic, other larger 'real' buses surrounding us, honks and the melange of everyday life.
Next stop, Civic Center Station. If you need to get off earlier, let me know.
And then the bargaining begins of where the passengers want to be dropped off and then the negotiation of the traffic to let them off.
I can't tell you how my heart and stomach soared! The feeling of freedom, as if we absconded, was overwhelming. I looked through the rear window and felt like from this point on, nothing would be the same.
And then we parked in the station and everything was exactly how it always was.