public transit

Terminus

2009-12-03T14:07:00.006-05:00

When everything changes, it changes everything. Riding public transportation made my life livable in Miami. Which is to say that in Miami, public transportation made me. You know, made me who I was. But when everything changes, it changes everything. I arrived in Miami, and the transition was a little too much for me to handle all at once. Do you know what I mean? One of

sam i am

2009-08-31T11:58:00.001-04:00

I sat down at my bus stop to wait for the S, since the A was blocked for bridge repair. I sat next to another man waiting. The man leaned forward from the bench to see which bus was approaching. Maybe he was going to be late to his job on the construction site. "Can you see what bus that is?" he asked me."The M.""I've been waiting like an hour for this bus. With no one to talk to. Now the bus

Don't you mean the Adrienne Arsht Center Station?

2009-08-24T08:54:00.003-04:00

I always wanted to walk across that bridge but it was forever closed. Not the Venetian; the other one. The glass one. The forbidden pleasures of Omni Station. photo by R.R.

route change

2009-08-17T10:38:00.000-04:00

I was taking the South Beach Local from the supermarket, just minding my shopping bags, when the busdriver called out to me."Do you know [honk] this bus turns right up here?""Yes, thank you!" How nice that the driver was making sure that I was aware of the recent change in the bus route! She is so nice, I nominate her to drive the A-bus route next."No -- do you know IF this bus turns right up

and make up

2009-08-03T17:35:00.001-04:00

Three old Cuban women were arguing about whether it was OK for some people to have been making out in the street. The argument got quite heated. One of them was so frustrated with the other two that on her way out of the bus, she lightly punched the bus-driver in the arm. She and the bus-driver laughed. I wonder if they wanted to kiss.

sliding doors

2009-07-27T03:44:00.000-04:00

My day is going just like in that movie Sliding Doors.I ran up the stairs as fast as I could, but still I just missed boarding a train. Its doors closed right in front of my face.I guess we will always be strangers.At least until tomorrow; you know there aren't that many of us around.Not anymore.The end.Or is it.I gotta go.Ouch.

you tell me

2009-07-20T09:36:00.000-04:00

I was engrossed in the reading of an article about the Lubavitcher couple who ran the Chabad in Mumbai. I was hoping to read something about the old Jewish Indian community they encountered there, and especially something about their wedding traditions. Elephants or no elephants, henna or no henna, jewelry or no jewelry, flowers or no flowers. And what color."Excuse me," said a man as he crossed

another clean-up at the omni

2009-07-13T09:02:00.000-04:00

I wonder what happened this time.

hot ross buns

2009-07-06T21:43:00.000-04:00

I don't know that I've ever taken the 6:20 A-bus home before. And I don't know that I ever will again. One thing I am sure of, though, is that I was really jealous of those fellow passengers who were bearing Ross Dress for Less bags full of discounted merchandise. My home is already decorated within an inch of its life but you never know what you will find at Ross Dress for Less. Here's a hint:

where you're at

2009-06-29T09:18:00.000-04:00

A Jamaican guy asked the young couple sitting behind him, a guy and a girl: "Where are you from?""Israel.""Respect. Are you wondering why I am wearing this star of David around my neck?"[They nod]"The royal family of Ethiopia is descended from Solomon. I'm from Jamaica. Ethiopians were brought to Jamaica as slaves. Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia, came to Jamaica." ..."Is this your first

easy come, easy gc....

2009-06-22T08:20:00.000-04:00

There's been a lot of propaganda promoting the new tap-n-go transit farecard system that is allegedly about to be implemented in July. I'll believe it when I see it. I haven't noticed any new turnstiles being installed yet at the MetroRail stations, although apparently the senior citizens' transit cards already incorporate the new technology, and the busses have been outfitted for the new cards

service center

2009-06-15T08:56:00.003-04:00

I have never seen that Service Center lit up before. I figured it was maybe staffed at some point back in the distant past when the MDTA was eager to facilitate rides on the MetroMover. Since those days are long gone, maybe now that they have figured out how to turn the lights on, it could be an ice cream stand, or a bathroom, or both, but not at the same time. What else could it be? A Loch Ness

the rain in miami falls mainly on my way home

2009-06-08T13:02:00.008-04:00

Friday night, torrential downpour.I made it to downtown on the train, somehow, between service interruptions. I know it's raining but come on. This is supposed to be Miami, and it's not even a hurricane.1.The MetroMover was out of service, but I desperately wanted to take the A to the Beach just to have some semblance of normalcy to the day. The A is so calming. But the A doesn't run from the

A thousand hands

2009-06-04T14:16:00.003-04:00

I was waiting for the S because the A was unusable for the month of May. (The A couldn't run its full route because of repairwork on the Venetian Causeway.) I really missed the A and its nice drivers. Now I was back to taking the S, just like I did back in 2003 when I didn't know any better.While I was waiting, the G pulled up. I sat down so the driver would know I was not waiting for this bus.

and impersonal.

2009-06-01T14:19:00.001-04:00

You can tell it's a sunny day at the Omni because the windshield wipers are not wiping. I guess I have never seen the windshield wipers in action. Then again I don't take the MetroMover as much during rainy season. I think this kind of architecture looks better up close.

redacted

2009-05-28T08:59:00.000-04:00

feelin' groovy

2009-05-21T09:02:00.002-04:00

I just did something I always love to do but have never done before.I stopped off for lunch in the middle of my commute. I got to Government Center right around lunchtime, so I hit the pause button in the middle of my normally rushed transfer, and walked over to the new food court attached to the MetroRail station complex. There used to be a Chick-Fil-A there, but now there is a cafeteria set-up

omn..i mean adrienne arsht

2009-05-19T09:26:00.001-04:00

I noticed this morning that they had changed the Omni Station's name to the Adrienne Arsht Center Station. If I cared enough to talk about this, I would point out how irrelevant it is.

don't let it spill

2009-05-14T11:52:00.002-04:00

I don't know why you are so stingy. Would it hurt you to offer me some of what you're drinking? I'm so thirsty, sitting here parched across from you on the MetroMover. And you seem to be sipping from your imitation glassware cup with such relish. It must taste good. After each sip you carefully cover the cup with a paper napkin, to protect the contents. You have a dill pickle floating in your

lone can: trap?

2009-05-11T00:38:00.000-04:00

Taunting me. The Vienna Sausage Bandit has gone back to his favorite food, but he has left this can unopened just like the bag of rice and beans. Am I supposed to open the can? What if a spring-loaded fake snake pops out? I would probably lose my appetite.

covering or revealing

2009-05-06T10:33:00.001-04:00

Riding the MetroMover from Omni Station to Government Center, a black man with dreadlocks yells to get the attention of a queenier-looking black man standing on the other side of the MetroMover car. “Hey! Hey! Have you ever heard of a show called 'Ripley’s Believe It Or Not'?”The other man nods his head non-committally. We are all wondering what this may lead to.The dreadlocked man explains: “

no sitting and no standing

2009-04-29T08:33:00.004-04:00

Don't get me started on the new MetroMover cars.Sure, they look sleek. I'm not denying that. But they're not the most comfortable things. For example, the new cars have only 12 poles to support yourself on, instead of the 16 poles on the old cars. That means that there are two big areas of the car that are pole-less. No one can stand there, because there is nothing to hold on to. Even during rush

the bandit returns new and improved

2009-04-22T08:49:00.001-04:00

Look at this bag of Vigo beans and rice left on the benches of Omni bus depot, and tell me what you see. Could it be that our little Vienna Sausage Bandit is growing up, branching out into starches and legumes? Closer inspection reveals something unexpected that contradicts our initial hypothesis. The bag is closed, which is to say unopened. That is not the VSB's modus operandi! Say what you will

littler and fewer

2009-04-15T08:01:00.007-04:00

I was waiting on the elevated platform, waiting for the train. I love the train, even though it has so few stations. It's only one line. But I might be leaving it soon, so I like to appreciate it while I can. This day I was enjoying my wait very much, reading the transcript of a sweet conversation between old friends. Down below, an ambulance was passing. Cars pulled to one side or the other and

what's the opposite of a ghost

2009-04-08T10:37:00.000-04:00

There's that one stop you pass by, on the A-bus, on Dade Blvd right before the turn onto Alton. There is no sign indicating that there's a bus stop there. There is not even a sidewalk to wait on. It's just the half-eroded curb of a busy street, where the bus driver will let you off, if you ask. If you know that you can ask to be let off there. If you know that it used to be a full-fledged stop. I