The Bus Bench

Merry Xmas, L.A: Curb-side Taxi Service. . .

'nuff said.

-BusTard

La Crisis. New words.

On the LA Eastside we’re talking about La Crisis, so I decided to share a little bit of my La Crisis joy over here at The Bus Bench.

In the early aughts everyone was into making new words.

As the late aughts are coming to a close and the teens are upon us. I’d like to give you some new words.

Dentist- Aspirin. In 2000 if you had a toothache you went to the dentist. That is now very passé. Now the new dentist is aspirin.

Doctor- Nap. As the US still doesn’t have universal health care the best you can do if something major happens to you is a nap. Maybe whatever ailing you will go away or maybe you’ll be lucky and just die.

Job- Collecting Cans. Remember when only homeless people collected cans for extra funds, well actually not so much extra but for funds, well now collecting cans is one of the new green employment opportunities.

Starbucks-McDonalds. Your fancy coffee will be gotten at McDonald if you are of the upper-upper lower barely middle class set.

Apartment-Your car. There was a time living in your car might have put you at risk of getting tickets, but now the gov’t has decided that living in your car is not so bad and in some locations you won’t even get a ticket (thanks), the homeless shelter are all full anyway. Since I don’t have a car, I guess I could live on my bicycle!!!

Dairy-Ramen
Meat-Ramen
Vegetable-Ramen
Fruit-Ramen
Grains-Ramen

Of course all of this ramen is going to cause high blood pressure, leading to a possible heart attack, but a good nap will take care of any ailment.

Coupons- Food stamps. 100 dollars in free food a month is plenty, especially since now all you eat is ramen.

My pet dog-My pet roach!!

Retirement-Death. Come now who has money to retire?

Depression!!-La Crisis!!

by-Browne Molyneux

Friday Night: Lights!

Walking round downtown Friday night, I captured this image while looking west on 4th Street (with Main Street directly behind me):

-BusTard

Mommies, Mamis and Mamas on the Bus

On my interview on Green LA Girl some of us have been having a conversation on mommies on the bus. This post is inspired from that conversation.

I was standing at the bus stop waiting for the Metro 53 on 6th and Grand in downtown LA. As I was standing there I saw a Latina mommy with her little boy. He was standing behind his mama. He was afraid. There was a homeless man screaming obscenities. Not denigrating the homeless, but I thought if a middle class women had to experience this on a daily basis how different the bus stops would be.

( Photo from Ingrid Mwangi's 2001 photo series, "Static Drift" is, literally, body art. Her stomach is her medium.) 

Good Consumer

This video was by Neil Boorman. If you want more info go to Bonfire of the Brands.

Green LA Girl's interview series on Carless in LA

Siel of Green LA Girl has harnessed the power of the internet to bring a series of interviews of Carless LA Women.

Check out the one featuring me.

Browne Molyneux's talks about her Car FREEkishness.

That bar hop went pretty badly. Downtown.

The Bus Bench's bar hop of Red line fun went horribly wrong.

First off, I didn't call Traxx, so they weren't open. I often go to Traxx for events and I just assumed on Friday they would be open.

"No, we close around the time of the last train," Wayne of Traxx.

Then we got thrown out waiting for stragglers.

"This is Amtrak's waiting area," mean security guard.

Then we went to the Redwood Bar and Grill (specifically so I could get fried cheese) and they had a cover.

Then we went to Golden Golpher, hadn't been there in five years. It's WAY different now, in the bad way.

Then we went to Cole's, not open.

Then we were going to go to Pete's, it was too crowded.

So finally we settled on Bar 107, where they were playing cheesy 80s music (which I really like) and drank gin and tonics, though BusTard drank scotch. Bar 107 is pretty consistently awesome.

Yeah, so it wasn't very hoppy...more later.

Browne

Friday Night Rides: Cocktail Mass.

This Friday, 21 Nov, Metro experiments with late night Red Line service—and the Bus bench plans to be on board!

Join Browne, BusTard and other daring, soon-to-be merry straphangers as they go bar-hopping on the Red Line. We'll be going around downtown but are starting at Traxx bar at Union Station at 10:30 p.m. We'll be heading out from there around 11:30 p.m.

They'll be disguises and cocktails.

 

There will be time enough to stumble back home, as the Red Line will be running until 3 a.m.

L.A. County Sheriff Takes Metro's Money—and Runs! And Street Brawl Video.

It took all of a moment to grant the L.A. County Sheriff a contract renewal to the tune of nearly $16 million dollars. It was a foregone conclusion, and only the formalities had to be observed.

One might be wondering what the above video of a downtown Los Angeles street brawl has to do with any of this. Well, lemme tell ya.

Wouldn't it be nice, if cars were banned.

From the Car Free Networks YouTube Site.

A video by Heather.