Case and Point

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The Scene: Tired girl with a big bag full of Dao Thai flags down a cab because even though home isn’t far, this was as far as her cold, sleepy feet were going to take her.

The first thing I noticed when I got in the cab was that it smelled good.  Nice choice of perfume, lady before me.

The second thing was the excellent choice in oldies music.  Good, Simon and Garfunkel oldies; not cheesy, lame oldies that have the word “bop” in the title.  Legit, great music.

Thinking about my Snob on a Bus post, I figured I should walk the talk and find out what my good-music-jamming cabbie was all about.

Robert is from Buenos Aires, Argentina.  He is a cook, sometimes at MK, and finds he makes good money driving a cab so he does that too.   I asked him what brought him to Chicago and his answer was the best thing I had heard all day:

“Adventure,” Robert replied.

He had been in Florida for awhile but missed the four seasons and besides, that adventure was over.  He has been in Chicago for 5 years worth of seasons and while he loves it, he said he felt that perhaps another adventure was in the near future for him.

“I’ll know what adventure is meant to follow when I see it though.  Just waiting on it, for now.”

Aren’t we all, Robert, aren’t we all?

I’m so glad I get cranky and hail cabs when I’m tired and cold.  The best things happen when I expect the opposite.

Snob on a Bus

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This is my friend Jacki.

Walk-the-talk, eco-loving, snob-on-a-bus Jacki.

You see, a few years ago when she was living in LA, Jacki decided to save some moolah and help the environment by getting rid of her car and navigating the bus system of the City of Angels.

Even though she had some serious pre-conceptions about what riding the bus meant, she got on board, in more ways than one and it wasn’t long before riding the bus went from a semi-scary thing that she was too good for to a daily dose of lessons learned while riding alongside members of her community.  Jacki turned her daily public transportation adventures into a blog called (you guessed it) “Snob on a Bus“.

Living in Chicago and not owning a car, I think Jacki is spot-on when she says that there is so much connection and community missed out on when you go everywhere in a car.  The people I’ve met, the stories I’ve overheard, the smiles I’ve shared while riding the El or walking in this city would NEVER have happened if I drove to work every day.  To be honest, I never want to live anywhere that I can’t walk or take public trans to where I want to go.  Aside from the exercise benefits (burning calories without noticing? I dig it.), I feel much more of a part of my community, of my city when I’m actually in it as opposed to peering out at it from glass windows and leather seat.

Besides- by saving money on a lease, insurance and gas, I have way more money to spend on shoes.

And you know what is just as cool as Jacki’s blog?  The article the LA Times wrote about her!

If you love Snob on a Bus, check out Jacki’s new Adventures for a Life You Love– she might be a snob on a bus but this girl is no snob when it comes to loving your life every single day.

Happy Friday, all!