IF THIS IS A PATCHED SIDEWALK . . .

 . . . then I'm Queen Victoria.  State Street and 4200 South.

CHILDREN

I was sitting at Central the other day, waiting for a bus.  I know, that never happens, right?

While I was sitting there, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a bus full of children.  I know that doesn't rhyme.

But then another bus full of children arrived, and another, and another, and another, and I forgot all about rhyming.  In all, there were three MCI's and two Gilligs full of children.  And they all got on FrontRunner.

A few children came over to the bus stop and sat on the benches.  Their teacher said something about, "Let's review for our math test tomorrow," and they all said things like "NO! NO! Ugggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh . . ."

(I'm taking notes, in case I want to REALLY annoy my children someday)

As the FrontRunner train pulled out, I peered at it, and I could see children's faces pressed up against the window.  We watched each other for a brief moment, and then the train was gone.

And I was left to wonder what so many children were doing on FrontRunner all at once.

I sure hope they were keeping track of ridership that day.

OH, ARE YOU UP?

One morning, on my way to school, I realized that I hadn't done my homework that was due that day.  I opened my notes to find where I had written the assignment down, only to discover that I hadn't.  Oops.  So, as soon as I got on TRAX, I called my lab partner to ask him what the assignment was.  He told me, and I started (and finished) the assignment on the train/bus all the way to school.  I'm a ninja like that.

When I got to class that day, he asked me, "Did you call me when you were on the train this morning?"

I said, "Yeah, why?"

He said, "I figured that was probably what was going on."

Suddenly it hit me.  I asked, "Wait, were you still asleep?"

"Yeah."

Oops.

THE VIEW OUT THE BACK OF A VAN HOOL

Because Van Hools have windows in the back.  Bus 09104, Route 39.  Where else around here could you see a lovely view of the mountains out the back window of a lovely Belgian bus?

CROSSWALK TO NOWHERE

Tell me where I'm supposed to go from here.  At Valley Fair Mall.

STREETCAR GROUNDBREAKING

So, I went to the groundbreaking of the Sugar House Streetcar last week.  I didn't take any pictures, so I'll describe the scene for you:


A warm, sunny day.  A large group of people gathered on an empty lot, milling around, exchanging pleasantries.  Some of them are looking at the displays that have been put up about the new streetcar line.  Some of them are getting in the way of those who are trying to look at the displays.  Oops.  A small stage with a podium at the east edge of the crowd.  To the south, the skeletal remains of the old railroad tracks.  And in the middle of it all, one very attractive busninja, coolly contemplating the scene and plotting his next move . . .

United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood spoke, as well as several local officials and community members.  I recognized several faces from the Salt Lake County Republican Convention.  Secretary LaHood was impressed at the number of people that came.  He talked about "the next generation of transportation, for the next generation."  (He said it four times).  Everyone who spoke was enthusiastic about the amount of development and growth that was going to happen because of the streetcar; I heard the phrase "development-oriented transit" coined. 

I also heard that around $400 million has already been pledged by local and other interests along the streetcar line before the groundbreaking, meaning that the theoretical streetcar has already drawn a promised over-ten-to-one return on investment.  I'd love to know how much the actual streetcar will end up bringing in.  Also, I found out that a streetcar has been on the books in Sugar House since 1985.  Interesting.

The "groundbreaking" consisted of pulling up some of the old railroad tracks, as a symbolic sort of "out-with-the-old" gesture.  Construction of the streetcar line is supposed to finish up next year(!).

I hope when it opens you'll all join me in taking a ride on the Sugar House Streetcar.  Go to dinner.  Shop for books.  Stroll down the trail.  Have a fun time.  I know I will.

TRAIN FROM HELL

Last Saturday, commutergirl and I went to the temple to see two of our friends get sealed (to each other).  Being the conscientious individuals we are, we took TRAX.  Per commutergirl's instructions, I had dutifully looked up the train schedule beforehand.  We timed our arrival at Meadowbrook TRAX very well for a Blue Line to Central (they're not making the trains say "Arena" so I'm still going with "Central") that was due at 8:00.  Imagine our suprise, then, when a train that said "Blue-Sandy" pulled in at 7:54, heading north.  It was either six minutes early or fourteen minutes late, both very, very bad, and it was labeled as going the opposite direction.  Oh, well, it was a Blue Line, right?  So we ran a little (along with a woman who exclaimed "Running isn't my forté!" before also running) and caught up to the back of the train.

The station announcements were not working on the train.  The chime would sound, and then nothing would happen.  No matter; we are experts in the order that TRAX stations come in.  Until we got to Courthouse.

See, if you are on the Blue Line and you leave Courthouse, the next station is Gallivan Plaza, and you go straight to get to it.  But if you are on the Red Line and you leave Courthouse, the next station is Library, and you have to turn right.  It does not matter how expert you are in what order the Blue Line stations come in if you feel yourself going around a corner after Courthouse.  Which is what was happening to us.  We exchanged a wordless glance that meant

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

and braced ourselves to get off at Library and run back to Courthouse.  Or, at least, walk quickly back in heels.  Which commutergirl was wearing, not me.

We didn't have to run, because as the now-color-ambiguous train we were on was pulling into Library, a train that said "Red-Daybreak" was also pulling in, going the other way.  We ran for it and made it, but other people were not so lucky.  The fact that other people were also running for the Red Line train made me feel less crazy, which was good, but I felt bad for them, because now they would have to run back to Courthouse.  Or walk quickly in heels.  We tried to push the button for them, I swear!

We made it back to Courthouse, but the Blue Line we had originally been intending to catch had either already come by or sublimated without warning, because we never saw it.  While we waited for the Green Line to inch its way up Main Street, I checked the posters that were up for the Race for the Cure, to see if we had been on one of the special trains that were running in conjunction with said Race for the Cure.  But we were nowhere near any of the times it said special trains were running.  It was the wrong time for a Blue Line train.  It was the wrong time for a Red Line train.  It had said "Blue-Sandy" and turned right after Courthouse.  I was troubled.

Eventually the Green Line did come, and we still made it to the temple in time.  It was not until much later that night, however, that I happened upon a reasonable explanation for the presence of the train we had ridden that morning.

The devil sent it.  I don't know why I didn't see it before, really.