Public Transportation

As some of you know, I sold my car after graduation to a friend... so I am relying on public transportation to get around the city. Although this is a good move for gas, parking and insurance with public transportation comes stories... soooo many stories...

First off, I was a little rusty getting back into the swing of riding the El and buses.. I did it all last summer but over the past year forgot some things. And there is no one better to tell you this then my poor friend Kelly. She came out to Chicago over Memorial day to visit and not only did I not have any furniture but she also had to deal with me constantly taking us to the wrong place or getting detoured because of traffic. We would get off on the stop I swore was the right one.. then we would walk 12 blocks and get to where I thought we origninally were... but she was a sport and put up with me. Even when I was frustrated. It was def. an adventure. When she was out here we were all over the city.. we were in river north, gold coast, lincoln park, lakeview, west loop, south loop, wicker park, buck town, greek town.. everywhere.

Riding CTA also comes with an interesting variety of people. I have learned to give a good mean mug when appropriate and how to use my attitude to get "creepers" to back off. One of my favorite stories is from last summer, week 7 of being in the city. I had fallen off the bus earlier that week while talking the phone on my way to work (not an easy fall either because the bus almost ran over my leg as it drove off and left me on the curb). I had this older gentleman trying to start a conversation with me multiple times, I did not want to talk. He continued.. I repeated that I was not interested in talking.. so on, so on. Anyways.. He got off at the same stop I did and as I stepped off grabbed my hips.. wrong... wrong wrong wrong. I turned around and yelled at him. He said it was because he didnt want me to fall in my heals (which was funny because I had fallen earlier that week) but I told him I would rather fall then have him hold on to me. He finally got the hint and left me alone. At the time it wasnt funny but I can laugh about it now.. thank goodness.

Well that was 2008, and things havent changed in 2009. Just yesterday I was on the bus and it was a long day because I had to take the Metra into the suburbs. As I sat down another man sat down across from me with a cranyon and a pad of paper. He mumbled something to me and I asked what, and he said something about drawing me.. Once I realized he was using his cranyon to draw my face I politely told him I didnt want to be drawn. He continued. So I told him again, "Sir. I do not want you to draw my face on your piece of paper". (I swear this stuff always happens to me) So he gave me horns and continued to draw me on his paper. So I called my sister Jessie to block my face with my phone. He was still drawing.. so obnoxious... so I said for a THIRD time.. "SIR STOP DRAWING ME". and got off at the next stop and then walked home.. I am not sure how that picture turned out but the last time I looked at it he had a maroon version of what was suppose to me on a piece of paper with horns. Gotta love public transportation...

I think that the major reason I did not want this interesting man to draw me was I was afraid once he did he would try to charge me for it. Some people will do anything in the city to get money out of you and I was afraid that when he was mumbling something to me that it would come out that I owed him 20 dollars or something. It reminded me of one time last summer on the El. My friends and I were on the train after a day at the beach. This man came up to us and was trying to be all charming calling us beautiful and wanting to play a game with a piece of paper and three cups. He had a magazine on his lap and put the paper under a cup and then moved them around. He asked us to show him a dollar, which my friend did. Then when she guessed the right cup he gave her a dollar back. They repeated this game two or three times the dollar amount getting higher every time.. $1, $2, $5 and she was making some money. So the last time he said $20 and she pulled $20 out. He held it as he moved the cups. Although we knew which cup the paper was under he slid it out as he collected the $20. Pocketed her money and jumped off the train. She was so mad he tricked her. We should had known when he pulled out a huge bundle of cash from his pocket that he won this game more than lost.. which explains why I didnt want to be drawn..

The stories could go on but I want to save something for later.

Regardless, I rest my case that public transit is always an adventure.