The reason I never ventured onto a public bus in the past is that I had no idea where I was going, nor how to figure out the bus system. For awhile, a friend of mine lived downtown, and she gave me a taste of the "El"; showed me the Blue Line, the Orange Line.... She no longer lives there, so to venture farther, I am on my own. I found a brochure in one of the train stations for using certain buses for particular events or destinations. I found a flaw in the system on Friday, when I traveled south to check out a zoo I haven't visited since my daughter was in second grade.
Drove to a nearby town to catch the Metra; found a parking spot at the far end of the lot about four blocks from the station. Even figured out how to pay the Day Fare for the lot~~ fancy machines! Who'd'a thought?
Once inside the downtown Terminal, I even figured out which door to exit to catch the correct bus. My biggest problem was exiting said bus. The brochure had said to get off on Washington. It just didn't say WHERE to get off on Washington. I got off on the first chance near Washington, no thanks to the VERY unfriendly bus-driver -- according to her, she had no idea where I was supposed to meet the next bus.... Thank you very much.....
Well, I figured out that the little signs at bus stops had a bit of a legend - what bus, where is goes, etc. However, I couldn't find a sign that read "Bus 151". Walking a little ways, I spotted Millenium Park ahead, and the photographer in me took over -- The "Bean" hadn't been exposed the last time I was there, so I HAD to go see it. Got some great shots, too. Okay, so 30 photos later, I find myself on Michigan Avenue, two blocks farther north than I started. I knew that wasn't a bad thing, but I'll be dipped in caramel if I could find a place to pick up the 151 bus, or anyone who could tell me how to find it!!!! Four people sent me blocks out my way looking for a Trolley; three people couldn't speak any English; the Trolley folks informed me that the Trolley wasn't running (wonder why I saw them coming and going once I did arrive at the zoo!); and one kind young man actually handed me a photocopied map and showed me where to pick up the 151 bus (two blocks away). Whew!
The Zoo was great~~ even introduced myself to some of the volunteers and got some inside information, such as names, breeding status, etc of some of the animals. Yes, saw two of the young red wolves slinking through the habitat. Hopefully, my two photos of them will come out okay... I do agree with natural habitat for the animals, but at National Zoo and at Lincoln Park, they certainly take "natural" to extremes. The habitat here was so dense and overgrown, it was only a fluke that I was able to spot the two youngsters. They were actually only about 10 to 20 FEET from the fence in a clear spot where the creek went through. People complain about OUR wolves!
The Polar Bear was putting on a show. He had a large, PVC cone that he was trying to sink. He really was animated! We were far above him, watching through glass, but in the right spot, he was quite a sight to see. His partner was much less extroverted, and swimming gracefully on the other side of the pool. There were workman blocking off the viewing area for the underwater window, or those would have been good photos, too. Oh, well..... By 5:00, I figured I'd better catch a Trolley or bus back to the train......
After asking three people, I was directed to the Main Information Office and finally told that the Trolley doesn't run up here except for the weekends. I went out front and figured out I had to cross the street to catch the 151 bus again, and head back to the train station. Goofy thing here was THIS bus went all the way to the train station, didn't have to jump off for anything! Thank God -- no telling where I would have ended up this time!
An hour and a half later, I was back to my car, and nearly kissed the steering wheel when I got in! It sure felt good to step on the gas pedal and go where and when I wanted!!!! The way I use my car, I can't imagine being slave to the Public Transportation System.... Now to solve the gas crisis!
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