Bus Love/Hate

A large portion of my life is spent waiting here for this beauty to pick me up and take me home

I have a love/hate relationship with the bus.

Hate about the bus:

-the bus only comes every half hour meaning I'm either really early or really late

-the bus arrival time is inconsistent - some days it comes 10 minutes late and other days it's right on time

-water of unknown cleanliness drips from the ceiling onto my lap during rainstorms - and unlike utah it actually rains heavily here

-the 4B bus takes at least 7 minutes longer than 4A or 4H - this is usually the bus that is running during my commuting hours. nice.

-one bus driver ignored my stop request because the turn light was green and he wanted to make the light...i reminded him to stop, he looked at me, ignored me and then stopped at the next stop saying "here you go". nice.

-it takes 25+ minutes to go 4 miles East to Rosslyn

-the bus doesn't go to Georgetown - i have to catch another bus from Rosslyn to get to campus

-i'm completely dependent on the bus. if it doesn't run because of snow (i heard that happened for a whole week last year) i'll be forced to drive and pay an exorbitant amount to park. it's a scary feeling.

-the drivers are sometimes scary. just sometimes but that's enough for me to be a little wary.

Love about the bus:

-the drivers and passengers are usually so friendly! it is unusual to watch a person just get on the bus and sit down - there is typically a warm and welcoming exchange from the bus driver like, "Good morning!" or "Hello" and as people get off at their stop they always thank the driver even if they have to yell it from the back of the bus "Thank you sir (or ma'am), have a great day!"

-it's inexpensive - $1.50 to ride wherever you need to go ($3 a day - not too shabby)

-they have cool SmarTrip cards that act like debit cards - you load money onto the card and then you pay your fare by placing the card near the reader - the fare is automatically subtracted from your balance. but wait, there's more, you don't even have to get the card out of your wallet - radio frequency senses your card even through a thick, leather wallet

-a cute older man sat next to me one day and told me that he makes a point to say good morning to someone on the bus every day - what a nice idea

-the stop is literally .17 miles from my doorstep - so close

-it's always a nice temperature inside the bus

-it's typically never - seats are almost always guaranteed

-i get to people watch like never before. interesting people in the area.

-the same homeless people at Rosslyn station now recognize me and say hello. neat.

-i get to see the Washington Memorial pierce into the sky every morning on the drive

ultimately the good outweighs the bad. i'm glad i have a reasonably convenient way to get home.