Apparently my Jaguar is not suitable enough for a road trip. Kelly, the girl I'm going on the road trip with, felt that it was too small. So last Friday I went and acquired an SUV just to make her happy.
On Thursday night, I boarded a bus to take me to Cleveland. The trip had one transfer, which was in Chicago. I was to leave here at 5:15, and arrive in Cleveland on Friday morning at 7:30. On the way up, the bus driver yelled at me. Literally, he shouted at me. At 95th St. a ton of people got off the bus, so I thought that maybe this was my stop. My ticket didn't say which terminal or address the transfer was to take place. It just said, Chicago. I felt 95th St. was in Chicago, it may have only been a street in a suburb, and the terminal was very large, so it seemed like the right place. But I don't travel much by bus, so I asked the bus driver as I got off the bus, "Excuse me, can you please take a look at my ticket and tell me if this is my stop." "Where does your ticket say to get off at." "It doesn't, it just . . ." "It does." "No, it only . . ." "This is 95th St." "Yes, I know that, but I don't know if . . ." "This is 95th St. This is 95th St! This is 95th St!! This is 95th St!!!" "I do not understand." "Get back on the bus!!!!"
A girl on the bus, who heard him screaming at me, said that this was not the right stop. The terminal I wanted is in downtown Chicago. I felt that was unclear by my ticket. Maybe my ticket would have said 95th St. if that was where I was supposed to get off. But 95th St. is not a terminal or a city, it's an address. And since my ticket didn't provide an address, telling me what street we happened to be on, wasn't clearing up my confusion. If my ticket would have said 95th St. if I were to stop there, then it is perfectly reasonable to infer that my ticket would have said Main St. or whatever street it is for my terminal in downtown Chicago. But it didn't. It just said Chicago, and I thought that since Chicago is so big, there could very well be more than one terminal and all I wanted to do was make sure I had gotten off at the right one.
At the Chicago terminal a young lad came up to me, probably a college student, asking if I could help him by giving him $11 for a bus ticket to South Bend. I said no. Then I watched him walk around asking others for money, and occasionally he got some. After awhile he came back to my section of the terminal and asked another guy for $11. I didn't say anything but thought, "Hey, I just saw you get money from other people. You don't need $11. If they gave you $7 then you only need $4. Liar. Not only that but you are carrying around a hot chicken dinner with mashed potatos from the terminal restaurant. Clearly, if you can a $7 meal, then you don't need money for a bus ticket." The other guy he asked also said no. So the liar asked if he would watch his stuff as he went to fill up his water cup. He said okay. When the liar walked away the guy looked at me and asked, "How does he need $11 when he has this meal?" I said I was thinking the exact same thing.
As we approached the Cleveland terminal, the new bus driver said, "Please remain seated until the bus comes to a complete stop at the terminal." I remember thinking at that point that she was smart to say "at the terminal." Otherwise, I could have gotten up right then and there at the stop light. Maybe less than a minute later, a guy walks on up. And she yelled at him, "Did you not hear what I just said. Sit down!" Then she got on her microphone and proclaimed to us all, "There is always one. Always one who doesn't listen." I was a little scared by this. I was 2 minutes from my destination and this lady was going to us all shot. I realize that maybe from a liability perspective she needs people to remain seated, but that was not the way to handle it.
I left the terminal and went looking for Grandpa, who was picking me up. A man was standing at his window asking for money. I got in and said, "Hi Grandpa, I see you made a friend." At that point he drove me to his place where I got to see Grandma and have breakfast. The rest of this adventure continues with the next post.
On Thursday night, I boarded a bus to take me to Cleveland. The trip had one transfer, which was in Chicago. I was to leave here at 5:15, and arrive in Cleveland on Friday morning at 7:30. On the way up, the bus driver yelled at me. Literally, he shouted at me. At 95th St. a ton of people got off the bus, so I thought that maybe this was my stop. My ticket didn't say which terminal or address the transfer was to take place. It just said, Chicago. I felt 95th St. was in Chicago, it may have only been a street in a suburb, and the terminal was very large, so it seemed like the right place. But I don't travel much by bus, so I asked the bus driver as I got off the bus, "Excuse me, can you please take a look at my ticket and tell me if this is my stop." "Where does your ticket say to get off at." "It doesn't, it just . . ." "It does." "No, it only . . ." "This is 95th St." "Yes, I know that, but I don't know if . . ." "This is 95th St. This is 95th St! This is 95th St!! This is 95th St!!!" "I do not understand." "Get back on the bus!!!!"
A girl on the bus, who heard him screaming at me, said that this was not the right stop. The terminal I wanted is in downtown Chicago. I felt that was unclear by my ticket. Maybe my ticket would have said 95th St. if that was where I was supposed to get off. But 95th St. is not a terminal or a city, it's an address. And since my ticket didn't provide an address, telling me what street we happened to be on, wasn't clearing up my confusion. If my ticket would have said 95th St. if I were to stop there, then it is perfectly reasonable to infer that my ticket would have said Main St. or whatever street it is for my terminal in downtown Chicago. But it didn't. It just said Chicago, and I thought that since Chicago is so big, there could very well be more than one terminal and all I wanted to do was make sure I had gotten off at the right one.
At the Chicago terminal a young lad came up to me, probably a college student, asking if I could help him by giving him $11 for a bus ticket to South Bend. I said no. Then I watched him walk around asking others for money, and occasionally he got some. After awhile he came back to my section of the terminal and asked another guy for $11. I didn't say anything but thought, "Hey, I just saw you get money from other people. You don't need $11. If they gave you $7 then you only need $4. Liar. Not only that but you are carrying around a hot chicken dinner with mashed potatos from the terminal restaurant. Clearly, if you can a $7 meal, then you don't need money for a bus ticket." The other guy he asked also said no. So the liar asked if he would watch his stuff as he went to fill up his water cup. He said okay. When the liar walked away the guy looked at me and asked, "How does he need $11 when he has this meal?" I said I was thinking the exact same thing.
As we approached the Cleveland terminal, the new bus driver said, "Please remain seated until the bus comes to a complete stop at the terminal." I remember thinking at that point that she was smart to say "at the terminal." Otherwise, I could have gotten up right then and there at the stop light. Maybe less than a minute later, a guy walks on up. And she yelled at him, "Did you not hear what I just said. Sit down!" Then she got on her microphone and proclaimed to us all, "There is always one. Always one who doesn't listen." I was a little scared by this. I was 2 minutes from my destination and this lady was going to us all shot. I realize that maybe from a liability perspective she needs people to remain seated, but that was not the way to handle it.
I left the terminal and went looking for Grandpa, who was picking me up. A man was standing at his window asking for money. I got in and said, "Hi Grandpa, I see you made a friend." At that point he drove me to his place where I got to see Grandma and have breakfast. The rest of this adventure continues with the next post.
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