welcome back / global max!
Arriving from the airport last night, I was weary and hoping for a coach to take me on the last leg of my journey - up Capitol Hill from downtown.
To my amazement I was greeted by
4240 (!!!) on the 49 route around 9:30 PM!
Does this mean a whole range of new coaches for the new year?????
utopian environs
Spotters take note: I was recently alerted to an alternate spelling of the beloved trolleybus:
trollejbus
WITS spotted!
I made my first WITS (Western Iowa Transit System) spot yesterday in Carroll, Iowa. A "coach" was heading west on 18th Street around 11am. I didn't have my camera with me, so later that afternoon I went back out on the streets and photographed my second spot! These "coaches" are more commonly referred to a "the short bus."
The Other Half
Last night I went to a cocktail party with some friends who work for a large software company in the Seattle area. Somehow, the subject of buses came up and I was very excited. To my chagrin, the conversation started with the dreaded "I had to ride the bus the other day and..." and proceeded to be a discussion about how smelly and gross the buses and its patrons are. I was quite confused because the buses these folks ride are known to be luxurious. In fact, one person mentioned that this very same bus had wi-fi! It seems as if the
philosophical nature of this group of people is only experienced when they are in their homeland. One did ask me, "Have you learned some bigger truth by riding the bus each day?" I proceeded to talk about how I have come to appreciate the physical bus itself, rather than the people inside. Then everyone started talking about the weather.
Winter Break Homework
It's that time of year when the Multiple O crew goes its separate ways, spreading out across the country and the world. Sadly, the Seattle Metro will be little seen or discussed during the next few weeks as a result. That said, I'm asking each of our spotters to report back with the transportation options available at each of their holiday destinations.
For example, I will providing an in-depth analysis of the
WITS -- the Western Iowa Transit System. This promises to be quite a challenge given my lack of disability and/or age! What will each of you contribute?
a Vintage fleet to celebrate !
I'm happy to report that the MO crews trip to "Spot and Shop" in Vancouver was a sucess! We were wowed by the hard-working little vintage trolley coaches!
Being a no-camera spotter, I am happy to say I found a nice photo on the web that captures the experience well. In the words of the author (thanks!): "2772 leads two other fleet members through the Granville/W Hastings St Junction. Enthusiasts will never get bored at this intersection."
IndeedWe rode the #4 route several times back and forth b/w Kitsalano and Downtown. The frequency of this route puts Seattle Metro to shame, and the coaches were surprisingly clean on the inside - even late saturday night.
Touch of Class
Some good friends of mine, one of whom is an expert in transportation etiquette, have returned from a long sabbatical and I invite you to check out
their forum.With that in mind, today was truly a festive day. While putting up my Christmas tree and ornaments, M*A*N realized that the colors of the ornaments represent the three colors of Metro coaches -- blue, teal, and green! I bought them 4 years ago, so this clearly was fate.
