Austinist: Finding Solace in the Seats of Our City Buses

el_longhorn

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:11:18 -0600

Good shit, William Mills! Sounds like the #37 that I ride most everyday.

Random

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:11:51 -0600

Native Austinites benefit from all the great things the city has to offer, but they live in what is ultimately a small town where there is a lot less diversity than they are willing to admit. I get the impression that a lot of them are tolerant, open minded and worldly because they're supposed to be, not because they genuinely understand and appreciate all that's around them. I've always felt that those that come from outside of the city have a better understanding and appreciation of diversity - both the good and the bad that the world has to offer. Austin has too much good. The real world isn't like that. It's somewhat on the level of kids that grow up in Manhattan. Of course I'm generalizing, but hey, let he who is without sin....

LoudMouth

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:24:22 -0600

kaffeeneko, since you love Austin so much you should ride Capital Metro so that the relationship doesn't end up one sided.

kaffeeneko

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:11:45 -0600

I don't shun my hometown. I shun the fact that 2 bdrm/2 bath homes in shady neighborhoods are close to half a million dollars there. I rode the bus til I was 29 and bought my first home in Austin and learned how to drive. No one in my peer group who grew up in my hometown ever learned how to drive til they moved away too. The ones that stay are forced to rent apartments for close to $2K/month. The only people that live there are senior citizens that own property, or have grandfathered rent control...or wealthy yuppies and students in dorms. Everyone else is living with their parents or renting for 3x the national average. This was Berkeley. I'm scared of Austin going this way too. I wonder in what way you say native Austinites are ill adjusted. They're far better adjusted than the nut-cases from my hometown.

kenneth1

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:10:29 -0600

As I often tell my car-driving friends, anyone who doesn't believe Austin is weird has never ridden the #1 bus. Seriously, I think some of Austin's more "unique" denizens actually live on that bus. They never seem to debark.

Random

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:28:49 -0600

What is it about Austin that forces people to shun their hometowns? It's a shame. At any rate, I thank god Austin is filled with immigrants. Native Austinites are some of the most ill adjusted people I've ever met. And not in a good way.

spee

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:13:34 -0600

this made me laugh. well done.

mdahmus

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:36:02 -0600

The great problem with almost every story about riding the bus, including this one, is that the people who would scare people off riding the bus are the most entertaining ones to write about. Compare/contrast to how boring my last bus ride sounds - nobody's going to remember that stuff, even though it's more representative of what you might encounter.