Master T In Tha House!

Sometimes it's hard for me to get blog material on the Express buses.

Sometimes it isn't.

Yesterday morning there was an interesting fellow who got on at the last stop before we hit the freeway for downtown. I'm not going to say I didn't like him or had anything against him. He entertained me. I actually like this guy because he's dope. And his cologne smells terrific.

"Dope" was the first word that came to mind when I saw him. For readers who don't know me personally, I'm an older white guy with no sense of what's in style, whether it is music or clothing. So, when this guy got on the bus, I had to revert back to the last time I watched a hip hop or rap video on MTV. Things were "funky fresh" back then. I do have Run D.M.C. on my iPod and I do remember the words to several Two Live Crew songs; just so you know I'm not completely ignorant.

When I call him dope, naturally, I mean he's cool. He probably isn't a dope. He probably is selling dope.

Yesterday was the first day I saw him, and today I had the good fortune of sitting next to him. He needs a name for reference, so we'll call him Master T. He looks like a hip hop or maybe rap recording studio guy.

Master T had it goin' on. He was wearing nice jeans, a black puffy jacket with raised (possibly embroidered) graffiti writing on the back, and a black New Orleans Saints baseball cap. I believe he had a gold chain. The cap still had the tag on it. His eyeglasses had thick, clear frames. Those still had the tag on as well.

Given the two tags hanging down on the left side of his face, he had no peripheral vision from his left eye. He had a neon green Band-Aid on his left eyebrow. I'm convinced he banged into something because he can't see from that side of his face.

I'm not sure if leaving the tag on insinuates the wearer stole the item, or if it is to show how much it costs. I can see wanting to show others the cost of that fitted cap, but prescription eyeglass frames? Does the tag reflect your co-pay?

Master T was a busy guy. He had earbuds in and was listening to some great music. His hands were going all over the place in time with the songs. He also had a dry cough, but was raised right and knew how to cover it well -- although with each cough he lunged forward dramatically. He had two cell phones and texted simultaneously with them.

He decided mid-way to Seattle it might be a good idea to phone a friend. Master T looked up the number on the right-hand phone and dialed the left. His ambidextrous skills have developed over the years to compensate for his impaired peripheral vision.

"Hey. Wayne there?"

I think this is who he was calling:

Lil Wayne is a rapper. I know this because I have seen him in magazines. I didn't take this picture. An actual photographer took it and unfortunately I can't give him/her proper credit because I got it off a Google search.

Wayne wasn't home. Certainly he was out driving his Bentley, maybe going to the tattoo parlor. He could have been recording a new single. Or perhaps he was smoking, like in the picture above. So Master T texted him and set up a rendezvous time for later.

There was an older man sitting in the sideways seats near us. I saw him look at Master T, then smile. The smile turned into a grin as he watched the younger man waving his hands rhythmically to the music. He, too, found Master T entertaining. At one point he dropped the left hand phone by my leg and I had to look out the window to stop myself from laughing.

In any case, Master T did sit next to me this morning. He was respectful of those around him, but that puffy jacket did rub my shoulder/arm more than half the bus ride. I'm going to cut him some slack, though, because he couldn't see that I was sitting there anyway.

I said Master T, not Mister T. Fool!

A San Francisco Muni Bus Story

It felt so good to be on the Express buses today! After days of snow and ice storms it was nice to get back to normal.

My bus rides today were very tame. A guy who looked like the Unabomber got on the Express bus this evening. [Yawn.]

I did read a very funny story in the San Francisco Chronicle online (SF Gate) about a Muni Express bus headed to the 49ers/Giants football game yesterday. Please, let's not talk about that game. I'm still close to tears. I grew up hours from the Bay Area and this loss was painful for me. Really, I would have given anything to have been on this Muni bus.

Keep in mind, it is about an 8 mile trip from where the passengers boarded the bus to the stadium. It took them 3 hours and 10 minutes.

Link: 49ers: Fans jump off Muni bus stalled in traffic

Anyone who has been to the Bay Area knows traffic is jacked up anyway, so it's no surprise it took a long time to get there. But 3+ hours and I'd be wanting to jump out, too.

This is a picture from Wikipedia of a S.F. Muni bus from 2007.

Got a funny bus story? Message me on Facebook or e-mail me and tell me about it.

2012 Snow Travel, Part Two

Yes, we got a lot of snow in the Seattle and surrounding area last night and today. Other cities get much more snow that we just got and function just fine, but we're a little different up here. The news showed the King County's amazing fleet of snowplows days ago. No one is really sure where they all are now. They are only maintaining major streets. Side streets are impassable.

I chose to not chance it today. I had a snow day. This is a good thing, because I may have been able to get to work on a bus or the Sounder train, but for perhaps the first time ever, Sounder trains in the afternoon were cancelled. I would have been stuck trying to get a 150 home.

Seattle Metro is continuing to run on its Snow Routes, and it also opted to cancel several routes for today. These cancellations are supposed to continue on Thursday. It's not fun to wait in the freezing cold for a bus that won't ever show up (trust me), so please check the Metro page below to make sure your bus or shuttle isn't cancelled before you head out.

Snow routing continues for Metro buses, with additional route cancellations scheduled for Wednesday.

SoundTransit has posted Snow Alerts, too:

http://www.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Alerts/Winter-Weather.xml

One of my Express buses is listed, as is the 192 that went missing the other morning while my friend was waiting for it.

Even if your bus is running, don't expect it to be on time. Don't rely on the OneBusAway phone app to be accurate. Bundle up, wear warm shoes or boots, and be ready to wait for a long, long time at the bus stop. Have a back-up plan in place if possible.

Here are some things you could do while waiting for your bus to come. These things might take your mind off how freaking cold it is.

• Make a good playlist on your iPod. The earbuds will keep the cold wind out of your ears.
• Download a few interesting podcasts. You could start learning a foreign language and maybe even practice it with some of your busmates.
• Play Words With Friends or update Facebook on your phone.
• Hop or jog in place to keep your circulation moving.
• Read a newspaper, book, or magazine.
• If available, read the Metro or SoundTransit Rider Guides and find alternate routes to your home or office.
• If available, read the Metro Rules of Conduct and count how many you've seen people break...or broken yourself.
• Knit.
• Call someone you've been meaning to call for a long time and catch up.
• If you're in the tunnel, count the tiles.
• Watch pedestrians and cars navigate the slush, snow, ice, or whatever nasty element is making your bus behind schedule.
• Dash over to a nearby coffee shop for a hot drink and pastry. Or piece of fruit for you healthy people. You know who you are.

Whichever way you choose to wait, stay warm and safe. Have a happy trip on those bumpy chained buses. Looks like we only have one more day of snowy, icy weather and then we're back to our familiar rain.

The 3 broke free of its chains. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle PI.)

See more mayhem, destruction, and happy sledders at:

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/gallery/Snow-blankets-region-36341/photo-2098772.php

2012 Snow Travel, Part One

The last few days in Seattle have been a little stressful and frustrating for anyone having to commute. It has been snowy, slushy, and just overall gross -- but only in the mornings for the majority of the area. Most of the frozen stuff has been melting on my routes by the afternoon and travel is much easier. Metro and SoundTransit are running Snow Routes with tire chains on all day, just in case the weather turns.

Had it not been for these tire chains, I think the majority of Metro buses would have been almost on time yesterday and today. Instead, they must travel at a maximum speed of, I believe, 45 or 50 mph on the freeway. I say "I believe" because on Monday morning, my Express driver probably topped out at 35 mph, while SoundTransit flies around, ends of the chains lashing the coach, at about 60 mph.

Those chains are bumpy and loud. BAMBAMVrrrrooomBAMBAMBAM. My bus rides have been very long and loud.

Monday had all the potential to be a hellish bus day filled with blog material. But it wasn't. It was a holiday and a snow day, but nothing. A few Express buses do run on some holidays, and my main originating point isn't on the Snow Route. So I got an early Express bus. There were probably six other people on it.

I think the best part of the day was realizing Metro was only charging $2.25 for two zones because of Holiday fare. Normally it's $3.00 in the morning and $2.25 at night.

On the Monday afternoon Express bus home, a woman in the articulation diagonally across from me had gotten on the bus after work. We'll call her Tia. Tia Maria. Tia had stopped by Qdoba Mexican Grill and gotten a giant burrito and a small soda. She wolfed down half of it, and then decided to make a phone call. Apparently she was put on hold, but that's okay. She continued picking at the remaining burrito (which did look really good) with her dirty bus hands until she started dozing off.

So, Tia's on the phone. In her phone hand, she's holding a small Post-It with a phone number on it. She's holding a half eaten burrito in the other hand, two purses are draped across her lap, and her small fountain drink is propped between the seat rail and her winter coat. It was like watching a very tired, hungry octopus. Tia must be an amazing admin assistant; her multitasking skills are impeccable. She's probably the mother of several small children.

She would wake up just long enough to pick at the burrito and get another bite. At one point, she dozed off and caught a big piece of lettuce on her bottom lip. She woke up, gave me a dirty look because I was watching her resting/eating/holding, and put her dinner away. She then licked the burrito off her fingers, one by one, and began her phone conversation. Other than the errant piece of lettuce, Tia Maria dropped nothing. Not even the call in the dead zone by Boeing Field.

I think, because I'm about to regale you with two days of bus rides, I'm going to bullet point the other highlights.

• My friend, who incidentally got stuck for like 9 hours on the bus last year during the snowstorm, texted me this morning. She was angry because her 192 never came (it vanished) and she had been waiting in the cold for a long time. When a 158 came by, it was standing room only. I rode a 158 as well, but mine was almost empty. Everyone was jammed on her bus and the 159 right in front of mine.
• This friend had brought along her Essential Inclement Weather Survival Backpack containing, among other essentials, a toothbrush and a change of work clothes. She brought along two days of food. She was good to go! If she remembered the alcohol, she gets an A+ for preparedness.
• Another friend on the Eastside waited for a bus out of Bellevue for well over an hour. She went to a bus stop, and a after a long time non-articulated shuttle picked them up and took them to a larger stop because of the Snow Route. She said each passenger who got on had to stop and ask the driver where they were going and why, even though the bus was clearly labeled. This wasted plenty of time and got them to the larger stop even later.
• A guy who was in the middle sideways-facing seats kept nodding off to sleep and hitting his head on the pole.
• A guy with a Thermos got on this morning across from the Kent RJC and sat in front of me. (I was in the back corner. He was in the back sideways-facing seats.) He greeted me, and I nodded in response. But that wasn't enough. He turned in his seat and stayed facing backwards, alternately looking outside and looking at me, obviously waiting for me to take my earbuds out so he could strike up a conversation. Ride the bus long enough and you can tell. I know his type. I'm not down with it. I had the iPod and the phone going. No time for chit chat.
• The afternoon Express vanished. I checked OneBusAway for kicks.

                     Express 7 mins away.

                     A few minutes later: Express 3 mins away. Sweet!

                     A few minutes later: Express 1 mins away. [Looks right, looks left]

                     I hit Refresh, and the Express isn't listed.

                     BAM! It was gone. Chains and all. Into thin air.

• A woman that I recognized from the earlier afternoon Express buses walked by me at the bus stop. Her words gave me a cold shiver. "Looks like that Express just vanished into thin air." She didn't smile after, so I don't think she's a blog reader. Yet.
• At the bus stop, also waiting for the missing Express bus, was MAIL HANDLER. He was noticably unhappy about waiting in the freezing temperature. I tried to take a pic of his jacket, but he was pacing and it turned out blurry. Plus, he would beat my ass if he caught me.
• A later Express bus picked us up. We clattered our way down I-5, chains whipping against dry, clear pavement.
• Once we arrived at Kent Station, the missing Express bus APPEARED. It came around the corner like a knight on a horse. A majestic yet tardy knight on a dirty, loud, green and orange horse. As it turns out, this Express goes to Federal Way, then back to Seattle to (presumably) pick us up, on to Kent, then to the station. Bad weather hit Federal Way early, so that's why it didn't come. There was an explanation for this one. It didn't disappear; it was just very late.

Seattle is supposed to get the Mother of All Snowstorms tonight. I'll keep you posted on the bus adventures. In the meantime, send me your wintry transportation stories.

Metro Snow Route Info

By the time you read this, I will have gotten 1,000 page views on busworthy. Thank you all so much for visiting! I never thought I'd get that many views. Awesome. (And no, it doesn't count how many times I look at it.)


Now that busworthy keywords come up in Google searches, I can see what people are really looking for when they stumble on this blog.


Some searches so far are serious: light rail accident. digital sign inside train.


Some searches are funny: camel toe. slut crash seattle. Captain Morgan.


One search stands out to me: Harborview Medical Center snow route.


Here's the link to the Metro Snow Route info. Travel safely, readers. Don't end up in Harborview.


http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/rr/adverseweather.html


You'll want the 3 or 4 from downtown or the 60 runs along Madison toward it. I haven't been around that area in a while, so use the Metro Trip Planner first, then check the Snow Route link.

Pre-Commute Report - Icy Weather

Today has been a freezing, snowy, icy day in the Seattle area. I am preparing to wake up early tomorrow, Martin Luther King Day, to catch a bus downtown. My buses are on Reduced Weekday schedule and Snow Route. During snow events, Metro makes no promise as to when they'll arrive, so I could be waiting for a while. I will have to take the 150 home unless I opt to leave work early and catch a Sounder train (doubtful).

Here are some articles from the local news about bus happenings today. (All photos came from the links and are property of the Seattle PI. I stayed inside where it was warm, away from the danger of traffic.)

A car ran into the SLUT, er, the SLUS. (It was originally called the South Lake Union Trolley until everyone figured out it'd be known as the SLUT. So they changed it to the South Lake Union Streetcar.
Those SLUTS are really cute.)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Car-collides-with-streetcar-in-South-Lake-Union-2549283.php

This is why Metro is on Snow Route. Those are the 3s that go by Harborview Medical Center and over to the Space Needle. I can't believe I haven't written about those yet.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Latest-snow-forecast-for-the-weekend-2519182.php#photo-2074993

Oh, that stinky 41 coming from Northgate.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Latest-snow-forecast-for-the-weekend-2519182.php#photo-2073482

I just can't wait to board the bus tomorrow morning!

The Essential Inclement Weather Survival Backpack

Winter in Seattle can mean ice, snow, sleet, or a wintry mix with showers. Considering it only takes a half inch of wintry stuff to shut down the city, bus travel can be a complete pain -- if not impossible.

Last year we had a bit of accumulation and roads were a mess. I know several people who were stuck on buses, sitting on I-5 south for six to eight hours. Yes. Six to eight hours. They didn't get home from work until after 11:00 at night. In fact, one of my friends ended up getting off the bus on the freeway, walking to the next exit, and hitchhiking home. To make matters worse, the passengers were freezing because the defrosters were blowing cold air the whole time. The driver isn't allowed to let people off on the freeway, but enough people had to go to the bathroom that he finally let people off.

It wasn't Metro's fault the bus couldn't move. The streets weren't being cleared.

I personally have had to wait for up to an hour and a half in the freezing cold for a bus to go south. When you're standing on the ice, the cold comes up through your shoes. It's very unpleasant. When the bus does come around, it is packed to the gills and loud from the tire chains in the back. (I am referring to the 150, back when it didn't run in the tunnel because of the Light Rail construction.)

The buses are very late coming around, and many of them don't run at all. The Express buses don't run. Metro puts the fleet on Snow Routes, which could mean your regular route gets all switched up. It's a good idea to check Metro's web site when planning your trip; then plan an alternate route. That web site is right about 80% of the time. The Metro phone center will be busy, so don't bother trying to call them for help. I'm sure the OneBusAway app will be wrong; it goes off the printed schedules.

In fact, if at all possible, try to take a Sounder train. Those trains are not hindered by anything. If Armageddon hit tomorrow morning, the trains would still be exactly on time. I bet the Light Rail is similar, but I can't promise it. I think I'll try a Light Rail trip if it starts snowing.

The forecast for next week shows days of possible wintry mixes for the area. Anyone planning to ride a bus needs to be prepared for the possibility of long waits for the buses and long commutes. There are essential items every bus rider should bring with them for these situations. You should pack these things in a backpack known as your Essential Inclement Weather Survival Backpack.

Here is what I recommend you include in your Essential Inclement Weather Survival Backpack:

• Electronics. A cell phone, an iPod, a iPad (if you're fancy), and/or a Kindle or Nook. I think I would die without at least two of these on a bus ride of any length. Charge them before you get on the bus if possible.
• A laptop, depending on how safe your bus is. That way you can stay entertained and recharge your electronics mentioned above if needed.
• Non-perishable snacks. Pop Tarts work great. So do granola bars and PowerBars.
• A bottle of water.
• A comfortable, warm pair of shoes.
• A dry pair of thick, warm socks.
• Gloves, a hat, and a scarf if you aren't already wearing them.
• An empty bag to put your garbage and/or wet socks in.
• Airplane bottles of booze. I'm not kidding. How much better would being stuck on the freeway be if you were doing shots? It's one way to stay warm. Bring enough and you could make a friend or two. Know your limit!
• A pen or pencil. You should always have a writing instrument. And if you make good friends with your little bottles of liquor, you can get their number.
• Weaponry. If you take a sketchy bus like the 7, the 150, or the 358, you may consider bringing pepper spray with you. Also, you never know what you could encounter if you choose to get off of the bus in an unfamiliar area.
• Those handwarming packets. You know, those magic packets of heat that you see at Walgreen's for camping and hunting. You'll be hunting some warmth - and find it - with those.
• Nicorette gum or patches, if you smoke. Six hours of being on a bus without a cigarette and I would be clawing at the doors, biting people while I pace the aisle. Yes, it's bad habit. But being stranded on a bus isn't exactly a great time to decide to quit.
• Any prescription medication you might need, even later in the evening. If you're trying to get home to take your antibiotic or other medicine, bring it with you just in case. If you are diabetic, you should bring your necessities.
• A paperback book. If all else fails, read a book.
• A small flashlight with good batteries, in case you have to walk in a dark area.
• A couple of salt packets. So you can make Donner Party jokes.
• A travel pack of Kleenex.
• A deck of playing cards, if you are on a bus with the regulars. (Not recommended for the rougher bus routes. In that case, bring dice for craps.)
• Butter Rum LifeSavers. Those little wonders got me through years of Southern Baptist sermons.
• Change, in case you have to use a pay phone.
• If you are a total badass, you could bring along a lightweight emergency blanket. You would be the coziest person on that chilly bus.

So there you have it. All of those things should fit nicely in a larger backpack and won't weigh much. You'll be glad you took the time to prepare.

Actually, a jet pack would be a great idea so long as you bundled up.

(Photo courtesy of Virgin Media. I'm sure Richard Branson has a jet pack.)

Roger's Starbucks Disaster

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been riding the tame Express buses and I've not seen many things that were exciting.

Since last post, I've witnessed:

* A bad, scratchy weave.

* The Not-So-Phantom Menace was reading a Battlestar Galactica paperback with a cryptic note written on the side of the pages opposite the spine: 06-2011 PUSSY. That's one way to keep track, I suppose.

*  A woman on the bus tonight was wearing two different jogging shoes. She'd probably brought comfy shoes to wear after a hard day at work in tight dress shoes only to find they looked similar. Not the same, but similar. One was white, one was silver. Hey! It was early. No judgment. Plus, I suspect she has an anxiety disorder -- or she's just wound super tight -- so I'll cut her some slack.

* A woman at the morning bus stop was chit chatting with everyone about how disabled she was. She was very, VERY chipper and happy. She was able to bounce around talking to everyone, getting in on our conversations about the chaos of the Reduced Holiday Schedule. [Bounce bounce] "I'm disabled! I was fine until I did some time in Eastern Washington. But now I can't work [bounce bounce] because I'm disabled. HA HA HA!" I've seen disabled. She was not. Well, maybe, because she was so damned happy from all the attention.

See? I had nothing to write about that was very interesting...until tonight, when there was a Starbucks Disaster on Express 1.

I missed my chance for a decent seat and ended up sitting in the sideways seats in the middle of the bus (pre-Camel Toe articulation). I hate those seats, because there's nothing to look at except the people in front of you. Especially when they've got two different jogging shoes on. It feels like everyone in the back of the bus is staring at you. They are. They've got nothing better to look at straight ahead. You're sitting at 12 o'clock.

A guy sat in the forward facing seat diagonally away from me, and he was enjoying a Grande Starbucks drink. Metro rules state you can bring drinks on board so long as they have a cover, which it did. It was the little festive Holiday cup with the white lid. Metro also puts a bit of faith in its passengers; you should have the common decency to take your cup with you and dispose of it. This was not the case tonight with the guy I'm telling you about.

Let's call him Roger. He looked like a Roger. He had really nice headphones and longer black and gray hair.

Roger drinks what he wants to of his Starbucks and gently places the cup upright under his chair. Yes. Upright. Right next to his Army green messenger bag. This implied he had every intention of remembering the cup and bringing it with him to throw it away at the Park and Ride. He even had the good sense to put it upright so it didn't roll away.

Roger got restless as we approached his stop. He got up, gathered his bag, and moved to the front seats so he could make a quick exit. He neglected to bring his cup, which stood perfectly still. I was fascinated at how the cup was still standing after being placed upright about 20 minutes into the ride home. It stood as tall and proud as the Statue of Liberty under that seat. It was a great impromptu lesson in physics.

We stopped at Kent Station, and riders started making their way forward. Some guy with an acoustic guitar walked by the cup. The Not-So-Phantom Menace walked by it. The Different Shoe Lady walked by it. The Security Guard walked by it. The Security Guard is a shorter, stout fellow with an odd gait and thick, steel-toed boots. Physics be damned! He accidentally stomped the cup as he walked by, causing a gush of black coffee (possibly sugared), to splash all over the seat in front of it and down the aisle.

The woman sitting next to Roger was splashed.

The woman seated in front of her would soon find the bottom of her purse soaked.

Everyone north of the Disaster watched as the river of coffee flowed toward the front. People moved their feet and bags as the river branched off into several smaller veins like streams of tears from the Starbucks mermaid.

A woman boarded the bus at Kent Station wearing sandals and almost sat in Roger's seat until she realized it was where the flood originated. It's 35 degrees outside and she was wearing sandals. She had a BandAid on her pinky toe. It might have been from frostbite.

An elderly woman in a purple Nanny 911-esque hat and black peacoat sat in the front sideways seats. She looked absolutely disgusted by the entire situation. She sneered at the coffee and those around her, not knowing what ill-mannered son of a bitch had the nerve to leave his or her coffee rolling around. She made me snicker from the safety of my sideways seat. I was at higher ground. I had a great vantage point of the aftermath. I watched as people navigated the coffee -- or simply walked through it.

That turd Roger got off at his stop, walking right on the coffee like Jesus on the water, pretending he had no idea where it came from. He knew. Oh, he knew. And he'll have to live with the guilt for Eternity.

This isn't really what the cup looked like. I got this off Wikipedia. You get the idea, though.

Post-New Year Bus Adventures

My five year old son is convinced he wants to be a SoundTransit bus driver.

Our house is littered with bus schedules, brochures on Riding Right, and assorted area maps. He would make a great bus driver because he has high-functioning Asperger's. Not only would he never be late, he could throw off unruly passengers without blinking an eye.

Since he'd never been on the Light Rail, I thought today would be a great day for a bus adventure. He has no idea I write this blog. I keep it a secret, otherwise I'd never get him away from the computer. He hears me talking about the bus rides, so he was also convinced he wanted to take the 150 to see how exciting it was. He'd already memorized the schedule and route in anticipation of our outing.

We planned to take the 150 from Kent Station, catch the Light Rail at University Street Station to SeaTac Airport, then take the 180 from the airport back to Kent. And that's exactly what we did.

University Street Tunnel

Metro decided today should be a holiday so everything was running on Sunday schedule. This had little impact on our trip planning. It would have been cool to take a Sounder train, but they weren't running.

We boarded the 150, which was standing room only by the time we got on at the third stop. I was unable to focus on the passengers as I was parenting, but I did catch one tidbit for you. A guy was on the phone with a nurseline or doctor's office. I caught bits and pieces of his loud, very public conversation.

"Sure. My birthday is June 1st, 1973. The last four digits of my social are 4992."

This is the point when I turned my head and looked at him. What the Hell are you thinking? You are on the 150. He looked relatively normal but apparently he was lame.

"Well, yeah. It's been hurting lately and it's kinda swollen."

"I had that cyst removed but it seems to be coming back."

"I don't know. I haven't lifted anything heavy."

"Do you think it will pop on its own, or should I come in to have it drained?"

[Cold shiver.] It's hard to tell sometimes if the front of the 150 or the back will be worse. This mid-morning, I think the back would have been better.

Other than that, the 150 was pretty calm. Once we got to Southcenter Mall, the bus cleared out a little and we got seats. The usual gang of old Vietnamese guys got on at Casino Row off of Interurban Avenue.

An old woman with a dog got on among the casinos, and the driver asked her if she was crying.

"Naw, my eyes waaaater when I drink something coooold."

Her voice was really irritating.

"I got something coooold from the 7-11 and I cried because I couldn't paaaaay for it. The lady behind me covered it for meeeee."

She got off at the Tukwila Park and Ride. I'm not so tough that I can ignore the sadness of not being able to pay for a Slurpee. Especially one that you prepare and begin drinking before you realize you can't purchase it. The driver let her ride for free, and I'm okay with that.

We arrived at University Street Station, purchased a Light Rail ticket, and boarded the next one down the line.

The Light Rail Stations posted above the back door.

The Light Rail is fun. Is goes fast, it travels both underground and above ground, and it's a smooth ride. There were some sketchy people on it who smelled awful. Overall, it wasn't bad. In fact, if you're ever downtown and need to get to the airport, I recommend it. There is a section between Rainier Beach Station and Tukwila International Blvd Station just past Southcenter Mall where the track is narrow and high up over the freeways. That part freaked me out a little, so there's also an element of danger.

The SeaTac/Airport Light Rail Station

I had never been all the way to SeaTac on the Light Rail before. In fact, I haven't bussed it to SeaTac in years. Last time I went, Metro was running the 174s and 194s from it to downtown and the Light Rail was still under construction. I had no idea where to catch the 180 (the only bus serving Kent Station directly from SeaTac), but it was easy enough to find.

This is the Light Rail we rode. It's red because it was covered in advertising from Comcast/XFinity.

This is not the bus we rode. It is red because it is Badass.

The very special red bus above is one of Metro's new RapidRide buses. I've never actually seen a RapidRide bus up close because they aren't on any of my usual routes. They are mysterious to me.

Here's what I learned today from their brochure:

* They arrive around every 10-15 minutes or so.

* The bus stops are much nicer and have a real-time digital arrival sign.

* You have to tap your Orca card at a stand to ride them (it's like a pay card, for those of you outside the area).

* The fare seems to be the same as normal Metro buses.

* The drivers issue transfers, unlike SoundTransit.

* They have not one or two, but three doors. So you can jump on and then get the Hell off of it. There's no time for pussyfooting around.

* I saw one come to the stop. They aren't kidding. It stopped and took off before I could get a good picture of it.

* The buses are red, which means they naturally go faster.

Just standing under the fancy RapidRide bus shelter makes you a badass.

I can't wait to ride one of these. In fact, I think my son and I are taking one next weekend just to see where it stops.

We caught our regular old green and yellow Metro 180 and headed back to Kent Station. We were entertained by a younger gentleman playing Indian pop music from his iPhone as loud as he could get it. It was an odd combination - the music and the fact we were cutting through the back half of Kent. We saw trailer parks, cars on blocks, and industrial areas before we arrived back at Kent Station.

Somebody at the SeaTac/Airport Station rang in the New Year right. Just before they got on the 180 back to Auburn.

Happy 2012, everyone!