September 28, 2006

Bus Chick, Transit Authority
The Things She Carried

By CARLA SAULTER

For some reason I have yet to understand, my husband, Adam, has entirely too much change. Everywhere the man goes, change follows. It is in his pants pockets, in his coat pockets, in his bus-nerd bag. If you’re ever short bus fare, search the cushions of a couch he has recently sat on; you’re sure to find at least a couple of trips’ worth. And don’t get me started on his (former) bedroom. His spare-change jar filled up at least a year ago, subsequently overflowing onto his nightstand and into his most recent ad-hoc container, a plastic bag on the floor.

Last Thursday, to prevent this change from overflowing its way into our current bedroom, I offered to take it to the free coin-counting machine at the credit union near my office. The plan was to stop there on my way to work, which would have been an unremarkable errand — except that I am a bus chick, and the change I offered to carry weighed almost 35 pounds. Despite Adam’s warnings, I carried the money in my backpack, along with my laptop and other bus chick necessities, for the entire 15-mile (two buses plus a very long walk) trip. Fortunately, I managed to remain upright for the journey, and I was rewarded at its end. The change added up to $360. I think I’ll use it to buy Adam an extra-large piggy bank.

Of course, a 35-pound backpack full of change is far from the oddest thing I’ve carried on the bus. Last month, I carried my wedding dress home on the #27, to the dismay of the clerk at the fancy shop that made it. On Easter Sunday, dressed in my Easter best, I boarded the bus to my mother’s church carrying both the bus chick bag (you never know when you’ll need your laptop) and an additional duffle that contained my roller blades and wrist guards (for the post-church family recreation activities, of course). And then there was that legendary trip a couple of Thanksgivings ago, when I rode the #3 with a still-warm fried turkey (more about that in November).

At least I’m not the only one. Today there was a kid playing an (unplugged) electric bass on the #48. Back in August (also on the #48), I sat behind a man balancing an entire case of Wild Turkey on his lap. A bus chick I met at a birthday party last Tuesday saw a guy get on downtown with a surfboard. And of course, my fellow passengers ride with all kinds of pets. Dogs — especially guide dogs — are the most common, but I’ve seen my share of cats and even a few birds. Once, on my way to a bar on Capitol Hill, I saw a rabbit perched on its owner’s shoulder. How many of the folks who travel by car can say the same? Got something to say about public transportation in Seattle? E-mail Bus Chick at buschick@gmail.com or visit blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/buschick.