Ticket to Ride

After registering for Tom's meeting at the Moscone Center, we bought a 7-day Muni pass and caught a bus to Fisherman's Wharf. It was a beautiful day to reacquaint ourselves with the beauty and historic charms of San Francisco. As we road the bus from downtown to the Wharf, we took note of the skyline, the hills, architecture, and ultimately San Francisco Bay.


This particular bus ride became more of a matinee than we could have ever predicted. The bus was relatively crowded, particularly for a Sunday afternoon, but we both had seats until we came to one of many stops. After several blocks, an elderly black man with a walker boarded, so Tom quickly gave up his seat for the mumbling old guy.


We then proceeded up one of San Francisco's infamous hills to another stop. "Wheelchair coming on board!" the bus driver loudly reported. "Wheelchair coming on board!" he emphasized.


This stop required a bit of fanfare as we waited for the bus ramp to lift a black woman pushing a wheelchair to board. The hoopla continued, because multiple "reserved for the elderly/disabled" seats had to be vacated to accommodate the Wheelchair Pusher.


Before she sat down, we all noticed cigarette smoke wafting up from her well-packed wheelchair. A rough-looking sleeping guy awoke to the sights and smells and exclaimed, "You can't smoke on this bus! There's no smokin' on buses!"



The Wheelchair Pusher defended herself and declared, "I done thought I put it out - it must be in here somewhere." A nearby young woman stepped in, rummaged through the passenger's belongings until she found the smoking cigarette and extinguished it.


Meanwhile, the chastising continued at ever-increasing decibels. The Sleeper, who was still annoyed for being disturbed, resumed yelling at the black woman, "You're taking up FIVE seats!" And indeed she was.


People in the back of the bus - who couldn't really see what was going on - defended the"disabled" woman, saying, "Give her a break, man - she's in a wheelchair."

Banter continued between the Sleeper and pretty much everyone else. After he'd had enough, he pulled the "Stop Requested" cord and exited at the next stop.

After the Sleeper left, the elderly man with the walker settled it once and for all. He squarely looked at the Wheelchair Pusher and summed everything up by saying, "You ain't in a wheelchair. You's PUSHIN' a wheelchair."

Things were relatively quiet for a few more blocks until the driver announced, "Wheelchair coming on board! Wheelchair coming on board!" Once again, we passengers toward the front of the bus rearranged ourselves to make room for a tiny Oriental woman who was dressed to the nines.


At this point, the elderly black man with a walker reported to the entire bus - in his loudest voice yet - "REAL wheelchair comin' on board. REAL wheelchair comin' on board."

She said not a word as she was lifted onto the bus and steered to an open spot by her picture-worthy son.


We eventually made our way to the Wharf and Ghiradelli Square, but we agreed the bus ride was definitely worth the price of admission.