In the city bus system, the most mysterious and the most mundane incidents and people are observed by an elite squad of tweeters.
These are their stories.
30 Aug
Dear Fellow Bus Passenger, Please remove your forearm from my knee. Kthxbai.
31 Aug
On the Type A bus. Amazing how traffic slows at the merge of Elizabeth & Asylum. When I look I see that each car is filled with *1* person.
Lady on bus playing game. It makes bubble-pop sounds. She bobs her head when the sound is made. Or is the sound made when she bobs her head?
Just rode the Go to Work at the Mall bus.
1 Sep
In our continuing series of bus observations, I’d like to note that sitting on the aisle to block off the seat next to you is not cool.
OH: The giraffe has to get surgery now. I dropped him and a couple parts fell off.
OH: Chris, if you don’t shut up I’ll punch you in the mouth. (Adult to child.)
2 Sep
Back on the bus. Population of riders is completely different today than yesterday. It’s very hushed. People are reading, talking quietly.
6 Sep
Type A bus. Conversation about Ann Taylor, proximity to the mall, where to find a good tailor, and “older” peeps…in their 40s.
Type A bus: They prefer bars in West Hartford and Glastonbury, because downtown Hartford has “older, like, foreign people.” Wow.
On the To the Mall! bus. It’s very crowded and there’s a lot of perfume and cologne action. A woman is holding a rail, swaying.
The swaying woman is telling a little boy that it’s rude to tell his sister that she can’t talk. If he can talk, she can talk.
7 Sep
People on the bus are quiet. Everyone is looking straight ahead. No one is animated. I’ll give the rain credit for that.
On Type A bus heading home. Seems like there are two business meetings taking place…one at the front, one at the back.
Just saw a Wallace Stevens “blackbird” stone. “A man and a woman are one. A man and a woman and a blackbird are one.”
There’s a VERY cute guy on the bus.
9 Sep
I now know the sound of the bus from a block away. It inspires me to run.
Tisane, Clemens Place, Mark Twain House, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, the old Comet, Green Apple, St. Joseph Cathedral, Aetna.
“Mira! Mira!”
12 Sep
On the Type A bus. It’s stopping at different places today, and new people are boarding. There’s luggage in the luggage rack.
Bus drivers & potential riders have a language. A slight nod means “please stop.” A slight shake of the head: “thanks but not now.”
About to sit down when Blackberry- & Briefcase dude in windowpane check shirt & slacks turns around, blocks me, & takes my seat
The sparkly gold ray halo on the Giant Jesus at St. Joseph Cathedral is actually to keep pigeons off.
Yeah. There are sparkly spikes embedded in the concrete halo. They caught my eye because they’re sparkly. And then I realized.
13 Sep
Read the news and blogs on Twitter rather than observing the bus today.
Ooh! Sitting on the Half Upper Level of the bus! I can pretend I’m in Half Dublin!
15 Sep
On the Type A bus going Somewhere Else. It’s funny how getting off the bus at a new stop always makes me feel a little nervous.
A big ol’ SUV nearly drove into the side of the bus. I don’t think I’d take a right on red in front of a bus
Wow. Almost happened again. The formula seems to be “wait for the bus to accelerate and then take a right on red.
16 Sep
Beauty. Hartford has it.
Most pleasant bus driver ever.
I wish I was on the Fern bus rather than the Farmington bus because I’m tired and I don’t want to walk that far in these (fabulous) shoes.
A rather large lady who smells of cigarette smoke just landed on my lap when she sat down. That was uncomfortable.
19 Sep
Happy Monday! Waiting for the Type A bus. A little cold. Don’t have a “not freezing, not warm” coat. Should prolly get one.
Sometimes I watch the cars with one person in them and wonder why they don’t collect people along the way as they go downtown.
It is freaking freezing on this bus.
20 Sep
Ooh…city bus nearly rear-ended a school bus. Brakes were slammed & flinging forward occurred & now my recently healed back hurts.
I am grateful that I have legs because a lady who does not, and who has only one arm, is getting on the bus
21 Sep
Long conversation with a kid at the bus stop. He was telling me about Drake, who apparently doesn’t use a ghost writer.
Drake is the full package apparently. Writes his own rap and even writes for others. The kid said Drake doesn’t hate on anyone.
The kid and his friend rapped for me a little bit. It was a little dodgy, I thought, but I told them I’d check out Drake.
The kids know my brother who teaches at Hartford Public. They’ve offered to make sure no one gives me problems in the ‘hood.
We talked about what matters most to us, music or lyrics. We both fall on the lyrics side of things. We need the story.
As soon as we got on the bus we stopped talking. I don’t want to undermine his coolness. I get that, & it’s fine by me.
On the Type A bus, heading home. I’m so tired that I let a number of Farmington Ave buses pass. I can’t walk the extra block.
Smells bad.
Smells better.
22 Sep
A friend said “Of course you can write a song!” So I believed him, and I wrote one, and recorded it on my phone at the bus stop.
Smartphone City on the Type A bus today. Heads bent toward devices. Silence. Fingers tapping away. Little smiles
Ooh…Corning Fountain! My favorite! The Barenaked Ladies rapped about its “very tricky deer” once upon a time.
Two long-time girlfriends catching up on the bus. One is babbling and giggling and carrying on like a teenager. Oh, that’s me.
23 hours ago
Type A bus. Today is Reading Actual Physical Books Day, as well as Puzzle Day. Also, young women in the back are all like “Like.”
There are some kind of magical indicators that cause a speaker to switch on and tell us where we are. We just passed Grurtaghaftik.
15 hours ago
It would be totally rude to take a pic, but Super Sparkle Lady is on the bus. Over-the-knee sequin boots. Rhinestone sweatshirt.
Fashion Day! Very thin man wearing tight teal t-shirt appliqueed with white vinyl sneakers plus real laces and real velcro straps.
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