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!

On Commuting. And Self Control.

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I take the El downtown every day for work.  It takes about 30 minutes, unless it’s one of those glorious days when my transfer train is waiting for me at Fullerton, in which case travel time gets cut down to 10.  In any case, the El takes driving out of my life, which I greatly appreciate.  With trains, buses and cabs, I have no need for a car in Chicago.  That being said, there is one big thing you can do in a car that you can’t do on public transportation: sing and dance.  I have been known, on occasion, to belt it out and groove along to the radio while driving in my car.  I was on the train today, listening to RENT Radio on Pandora (all original Broadway cast RENT and Glee tunes.  It was glorious) when it occurred to me:

What if I am singing out loud?  What if I am doing my little happy dance and don’t even know it?

Then I started thinking about what IF I did just break out into song and dance on the train?  What if I did try to coordinate my fellow riders to do the “La Vie Boheme” dance, using the train car as our own personal Life Cafe?  It was at this point where I really started question my self-control and thought it best to change my Pandora station.

Lady Gaga Radio did not help calm my fear that I would break out into spontaneous dance.

Bringing my car home for a trunk show for work and then leaving it there was probably not the best idea.

Catch-22

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My two options for a seat on the train downtown this morning were next to a nearly-passed out, slightly smelly man who so kindly moved his brown paper bagged bottle of booze for me to sit down or a guy who was closing his eyes and rocking back and forth, mumbling. 

I remained standing.