Riding The Bus, Part Two

Earlier I wrote about some of the people who we see or have met when riding the bus. Our family has used the buses in San Diego for decades. My children grew up knowing how to use the transit system. When they were little we did not always have a car, and I do not drive. We used to go to downtown San Diego by way of the ferry and bus. We didn't have to take the bus as we could get on the ferry going from Coronado to San Diego for small change. Then we could walk the rest of the way to our destination, even the San Diego Zoo. That was for the adventurous soul, but we sometimes liked to be challenged.

More often we would take the bus to our destination. If we still had energy, or were short of funds, we could walk back home. It was downhill that direction from the zoo. Of course we still had to take the ferry. By ferry I mean the car ferries that had a place for passengers to embark. We had to change our way of doing things after the bridge opened and the ferries were stopped. It was a sad day when we had our last ferry rides. It was several years before we got the current pedestrian ferries. They are fun to ride but cost more than we were used to paying.

Our children learned how to go by themselves to the zoo while they were still in grade school. Some people may have thought I was crazy to let them do this but I knew that the children knew what they were doing. I would probably not let them do this if I were raising them today. Maybe if I had been an older mother I would have given it a more critical look. In other words I may have worried more. One time Kathy and our friend Wendy, who was a little bit older than Kathy, got on the wrong bus and had an unplanned adventure. It was ok as they just stayed on to the end of the route where the bus turned around, headed back to where they were in familiar territory. Wendy lived in San Diego near Adams Avenue and they were probably headed back to Coronado.

One time when the children were quite young and we were coming home from downtown San Diego I left a small package on the bus in Coronado. Now this is another one of my small world stories. The bus made a trip back to San Diego and had made the rounds in San Diego. It was back in Coronado after trips both ways on the ferry. I was walking down Orange Avenue in Coronado with the children when the bus driver spotted us and stopped. He said he had something that belonged to us. It was the small package that I had left on the bus. I think it was color books and crayons or some similar purchase. This was a treasure to the children and to me. Can you believe that the bus driver was so aware of our little family?

I have enjoyed Greyhound bus trips in the past too. I traveled more than once by bus to Washington state when Kathy's family lived there. I have traveled home from Billings, Montana by bus too, after going there by car. I did the same thing one time when I went to Washington with a friend and came home by bus. I have also traveled both directions by bus to Denver, Colorado several times. Last time I did this with Laura and we decided that it was the last time going that far by bus.

When my mother went to her fiftieth high school reunion, near Bellingham, Washington, Laura went with her by bus. Laura got to go to some of the events of the reunion with her grandmother. She also went to some of the events of her dad's and my fiftieth reunions in Coronado in 2003 and 2005.

Electric Streetcar to Coronado Ferry

We have been using public transportation for decades and appreciate having it be available for us. It was a real treat when the trolleys began service in the early eighties. We have enjoyed using them for three decades now. Paul and I remember that when we were quite young there were street cars. Too bad they were discontinued. I especially remember the street car that went down the middle of Orange Avenue in Coronado when I was little. My dad had stories to tell my sisters and me about his adventures with the street cars when he was young. He was a great story teller and I would love to follow in his footsteps.

Our family will continue to take advantage of the buses and trolleys as we do not have a car now. They are a necessary source of transportation for us.

Image credits: prayitno; aldenjewell; San Diego History Center

Riding The Bus

It has been mostly a blessing riding the bus as our main form of transportation. We have made special friends and met a lot of interesting people along the way. One of my best friends is one that I met on the bus. When I was going to Coronado every Sunday morning to Sunday school and church I met Ellen as she was heading to Westview Bible Church in Imperial Beach. We were on the bus a short time together each week and got to know each other over a period of time. She invited us to her church and since we had another friend there we eventually visited Westview.

We continued to go to Coronado, but occasionally visited Westview. Laura started going to Westview much more often than Paul and I did. Then for a period of time Paul was going to Midway Baptist Church which is now known as Oceanview Church. He liked the idea that it is close to home so it is a short bus ride. Laura was going to Westview then and I was still going to Coronado. The bus driver was interested in our unusual arrangement at the time. She would have been in Church if she had not been driving the bus.

When the bus schedule changed and was not running often enough on the Strand to Coronado we started going Westview most weeks. This has been a blessing for our family. I am thankful that we met Ellen on the bus. Ellen and her husband Dave are dear people. We have enjoyed getting to know them and the other dear brothers and sisters in Christ at Westview Bible Church. We still have a sweet connection to Coronado and our many friends there, but we are being blessed each week at Westview.

There are a lot of interesting people on the bus and I have enjoyed talking to some of them. Bella is an older lady that I used to see quite often on the bus. She was beginning to forget things a lot and I was really concerned about her. She had a lot of history in our area and I heard some of her stories more than once. She lived with her sons near the trolley station and they must have begun to be concerned about her too. We had not seen her in quite a while when Laura and I came upon her as we were walking near her home in the valley. She said her sons did not want her to leave the yard anymore. At least I know she is safe.

We see many handicapped people on the bus. They don't let their disabilities keep them from being out and about many times during the week. There are a lot of senior citizens on their errands as well as young people going to school or their jobs each day. The bus and trolley are very much needed by many people. I appreciate being in an area where public transportation is available. I appreciate the nice bus drivers too. I have met some very nice drivers. There are a few that are not as nice, but they are the minority. Drivers have an important job and also need to care about people. You can tell which ones are not people oriented, it is just a job for them.

Then there are the people that get on the bus and are having a bad day. They want to make sure that everyone else has a bad day too. The other day one guy was loudly cussing at his lady friend. I could tell that he was a bully and did not have anything nice to say to her. I would have loved to say something but would have probably made the situation worse. I don't like to see someone being treated so badly. I would hope that she has someone to intervene for her or that she is able to distance herself from this bully.

Riding the bus is not boring. But you have to give yourself enough time to get to your destination. We like to leave home early and arrive at appointments early. Proper planning is important.

Photo credits: Seattle Municipal Archives;  DearEdward; paulkimo90