Last year we downsized to one car. This year we are trying to use the car as little as possible. This means schlepping in the rain on foot, on bikes or by buses and trains. My friends think we're crazy.
Portland public transportation excellence rivals that of New York City. Bike paths run everywhere. You can't find another city in the United States that is more bike-friendly than Portland. 15% of all bridge traffic into downtown Portland is by bicycle. That's pretty impressive.
Len has this commute thing down to a science. Most days he bikes to work in combination with the train. I'm not so righteous.
Bikes ride on the train and buses with you. That's something you couldn't do in The City when I lived back East.
So many older folks are home bound solely because they are unable to drive. They can be socially isolated. We put ourselves in a living situation that keeps us mobile and social whether we are able to drive or not. Who wants to depend on a good neighbor or your adult children to take us places? We are practicing independence for the future.
A typical commute for me is a ten minute walk to the bus stop in the morning. I climb up and down three sets of stairs going over the overpass footbridge. That's a pretty good warm-up workout.
At the bus stop I see the regulars. We acknowledge each other with a half smile or a comment about the weather. The bus is always full. Nobody speaks much but we are all in community. Riding the bus is a great equalizer. The suits and the down-and-out; traveling to our destination. It is a time when I am literally close to my brothers and sisters in this world. Or at least in this town. It's a good place to be.
Today I rode the #4 downtown to pick up some hooks for our kitchen rack. When we got to the Rose Quarter two Native Americans were waiting for the bus. One was carrying quite an impressive bright yellow fishing pole, one you might use to catch a very big fish. His friend was carrying a bag holding quite an impressive fish, half as big as he was. The fish's tail was all fan-shaped and beautiful. The bus driver took one look and hollered out the door,
"If you think you are getting on this bus with that fish, you're crazy! You're NOT getting on this bus with that!"
The driver closed the door and moved on.
Left those guys standing there with their big fish.
I thought, if that guy just had a bigger bag, one that completely enclosed the fish, he and his friend could have boarded the bus and everyone would have thought they just smelled bad. No one would have said a word. I felt bad for those men. I wonder how they got home? Did they have to call a cab? It was rainy and cold outside too.
