Slow Life Means
Taking The Bus & Enjoying The Ride
Karen of Westwood, A Slow Lifer Shows Us The Way
"What's the big deal? Ok, sometimes bus drivers
don't stop for me. They don't think I'm the bus riding type."
In Los Angeles it is almost charming to ride the bus. I don't take the bus and when I met my new friend Karen who has been living in LA for over three years, one of the first things I learned about her is that she rides the bus. She doesn't own a car, buses all over town even though she has a family, runs the house and manages to take care of business on the bus or on foot. I started to feel a little guilty about how dependent I am on my car. I even drive it across Wilshire Blvd. to go to the park for a run sometimes because I don't always have the courage to cross that four lane massive boulevard that feels like the 405 Freeway. And to top it off I write this blog so when I met her I wanted to show her off.
I was fascinated by her nonchalance about the whole thing. She is chic and petite and has a son in middle school. She doesn't care about all the wrangling it takes to plan for her outings. She simply takes the bus, and when it's time to take the kids on a field trip, "We take the bus!"
Karen Looking Very Comfortable By The Bus Stop On Wilshre & Westwood
Karen is a New Yorker and finds it normal to ride the bus. The irony here is when she lived in New York, she had a car! She had an antique business and had to move furniture around. So now that she is in LA, she just didn't get around to getting a car. Something I can't imagine being a native.
"I never felt the need to have a car here. I take the bus to fancy stores, the museum, the market and it's very easy." When she told me bus drivers sometimes don't stop for her at the bus stop, I had to pause. I suppose that means many white women with blonde hair on the Westside of Los Angeles don't take the bus. As much as we eco loving, environmental liberal types boast the need to recycle, buy local and reuse our grocery bags, the bus really is the last frontier. Especially in Los Angeles. To Karen, it's a way of life she imported from New York. It's all about perception and maybe a little convenience. Even Los Angeles bus drivers need to open their eyes and pick up anyone who happens to be waiting at a bus stop. Getting dissed by a bus driver will not help the cause to lighten traffic in this city. Getting passed by a bus driver also helps reinforce stereotypes so itt's a community effort indeed.
Riding The Bus Is A Great Way To Interact With Your City And
In This Case, The Very Helpful People Just Waiting to Offer Advice!
"I take the bus to Saks in Beverly Hills or to the market," she says. "I took my son and his friends to LACMA on the bus to see the Tim Burton Exhibit. My son was slightly mortified that I didn't use my husband's car and carpool them. I think of it as normal." I thank Karen for being a sport and letting me make her my role model of the month. I followed her to her bus stop and took the time to notice all the people who do take the bus. It made me feel like I live in a real city where people interact on the street and help each other out. Maybe I'll give it a go.
Recent Update: I took the bus to The Hollywood Bowl on Saturday night with Karen and friends to see Smokey Robinson. We lurched and bobbed down Santa Monica Blvd. to Highland and up. It was so much easier than sitting in the parking lot after the show or scrambling for parking. Park and ride options all over the city are very easy and the best way to go.
Helpful Links to get on the bus
Mad Man Actor Pete Campbell Only Rides The Bus in LA
Planet Green- How To Ride The Bus In LA
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