Making Transit Easier

If you live in SF and ride the bus, be sure to check out the new trip planner website. It's in beta-mode, but I really dig the layout. It's easy to use, and has this adorable little icons that give you a visual of your upcoming trip. For example, when I looked up how to get to a house I was checking out this weekend, I was shown a little man (for walking) then a bus, then another little man, then the train, then another little man. It made my 30 minute trip look like so much work!

And while I am on the subject, I finally broke down and bought an Ergo Baby Carrier. I really didn't want to buy more baby gear, but I keep hearing how great this thing is. It has made our travels much nicer the last few days. It's not as cute as our sling, or as easy to get on as the bjorn, but with my munchkin getting heavier, the Ergo works quite well.

The pic above is from one of her first trips on the bus, all snuggled in the sling. (sniff sniff... I miss those days!)

Gay Pride + Babies= Smiles all Around!

22, 5, & BART/ everywhere I went:

SF Pridewas this past weekend, which meant there were a lot more people on our usual bus routes that go downtown. Let me be more specific, there were a lot more gay people. With the recent state court decision to allow gay marriages, there was a particular festive attitude in the air for Pride. What does this have to do with riding the bus? Well, gay men seem particularly found of babies. Leila got way more ohhs and ahhs than usual, and she was basking in the attention. She shed her usual poker face, and beamed a big toothless smile for anyone who showed interest in her. I wish every weekend was this gay (happy and homosexual)! We planned to go to the parade, but I was worried didn't make it. Hopefully next year will bring the same fun crowd. Here's some NSFW pics of the festivities.

Photo by 37C

5 Ocean Beach/ going home from downtown: Leila was staring down a a guy sitting behind me. He got up to get off the bus and started making baby faces at her. She gave a coy little smile. Me: "She's really checking you out."

Him: "She's gotta wait 19 years before she can have some of this."

Me: "19 years?"

Him: "Yeah, 18 till she's legal, then one more to be on the safe side."

Ew.

Another Bus-Riding Blog!

Here's a great blog from Bus Chick, a Seattle bus rider who is also a new mama. In 2003, she made the decision to live car-free and use mass transit to get around. I suspect many folks across the country will be making a similar choice this year, rather than pay $5 a gallon for gas. 

When hubby and I moved to SF, I was determined not to own a car. 

While there are times I would love to have a car (like impulse trips to Target or going into labor) I much prefer hopping on the bus to get around. Gas prices, environmental reasons, and no parking tickets aside, Bus Chick reminded me of a top reason I like to ride the bus, "Everyday, I sit by my neighbors. I turn my head to look at beautiful children, and plug my ears to block out loud ones. I roll my eyes at young lovers, eavesdrop on married women's gossip, and chuckle at the posturing of teenage boys. Everyday, I have adventures. Everyday, I hear stories. I would never trade that for easier access to the mall." 

Well said, fellow rider! 

En Espanol

24 Castro/ going to Cliff's Variety: 2 veijas sat next to me, and eye-balled my sleeping baby. 

Veija uno: "Ay que linda"    Oh, how pretty.

Vieja dos: "Ay... mamacita" 

Vieja uno: "Mira, sus piernas. Que frio!"    Look at her legs. So cold.

Vieja dos: "Si, si. Nesisita calcetines."    Yes, yes. She needs socks.

My spanish my be a little rusty, but I know when I am being judged on the bus. 

Bang Bang

5 Downtown/ going to SF MOMA (to see Frida Khalo exhibit): We were waiting at the bus stop when 2 cute little old ladies came right up to us. Leila was tired and no interested in the coochie coo baby talk. After a minute or two, one of the ladies grabbed her little gold-shoed foot and said, "Doesn't she need some socks?" The other lady said, "Aw, she's fine with her fancy little shoes." Leila looked at both of them and winced up her face in an effort to end this whole interaction. "Ohh, look at that face!" the lady gasped. "If she had a gun, she'd shoot me dead!"

Now there's an idea. 

Muni Posters

On every bus: Artist Helena Keeffe worked with Muni and the SF Arts Commission to create Muni Maps, a series of works related to the Muni transit workers. While I recognize how hard it must be for the drivers to deal with bullshit day in and day out, I also know they make A LOT more money than I ever have. They get $27.08 an hour. Word on the street is, they get a lot of overtime pay that really bumps up their annual take home. In any case, the above picture is part of a series of the artists works, in which drivers tell a story. This one is my favorite. Way to go Larry, by doing the bare minimum, you got this lady to her interview. 

Tell it to the Baby

22 Outbound/ going home: It was the first hot day in a long time, and Leila was in her typical SF layers of clothing. She was overdressed, but I didn't really want to strip her down naked on the bus. Of course I took off her coat, but she still had on tights with her cute little furry boots. A *lady sat next to us and looked at Leila, "Well aren't you cute!" I thanked her, to which she replied in a stupid baby voice (to Leila), "Look at those tights. Now why would mommy put you in tights on a hot day? Hummmm? Mommy doesn't know, does she?" My blood was boiling. I swear that smoke came out of my ears. She proceeded to tell me all about her [grown] kids and blah blah blah. I totally ignored her and stared straight ahead. 

I really want to make a t-shirt that says "What every new mom needs is criticism."

*By "lady" I mean "bitch".

It's Not Just Me!

At Mommy-Baby movie: I met a new mom at one of my mother's groups recently and she told me she didn't have a car. I sang the joys of riding a bus with the baby and tried to prepare her for the interactions. I ran into her today at a mommy-baby movie and she said things are going well on the bus for her and her little buy. However, she told me that the other night she was on her way home, her baby was hungry and fussy. An old Asian lady started trying to tell her what was wrong with him, in Chinese. Then a little boy told her, "maybe he's crying cuz your hurting his foot".  

I guess there's enough (unwanted) advice for everyone. 

No Sh*t

22 Outbound/ going to *kid's concert: Since my back has been killing me, I decided to ditch all the baby carrying devices and just hold her. On the bus, this means that she will be sitting in my lap, and thus have access squirm and touch everything. Whatever, I was feeling brave. As soon as we got on the bus, Leila grabbed our neighbor's hand and wiped drool all over him. Thank God he thought it was cute. A few minutes later, a young man with Down's Syndrome got on the bus and sat next to us:

Man, "OH! A BABY!!"

Me, "Yup!"

Man, "What's her name?"

Me, "Leila."

Man, (shaking both her hands) "Hi Leila! God bless you. I love you."

Me, "That's sweet"

( a bit more chatting... he was so nice!)

Man, "I just bought a turkey sandwich with avocado for dinner."

Me, "Do you like avocado?"

Man, "Uh yeah, look at me." 

Me, "Avocado is Leila's favorite food"

Man, "Well, no shit!" 

Man's Mother, "Watch it!"

Man, "Sorry"

*Went to see Frances England, a local mom with a guitar. Great songs, sweet lyrics. Moreover, it was in a bar, so I got to have a beer in a bar and hear live music! 

She's So Hot, She's Cold.

22 Outbound/ going home: A couple of weeks back we had some record setting hot days here in SF. We had a weekend of mid-high 90's. Everyone was in shorts, flip flops, and the like. If we had been in Texas, I would have let the little one hang out in her diaper and nothing else. However there's still a breeze here, so she was fine in one layer. I reveled in the heat. Finally, no one will tell me my baby is cold! She had on pants and short sleeve shirt, and a cute, white sunhat. As we were stepping on the bus, a 150 year old lady tapped my shoulder, "Doesn't that baby have a jacket?" I looked at her, stunned. "Yes, " I stammered, "But I didn't want to melt her". The lady laughed and said, "It might cool off later." 

Diversity

22 Inbound/going to church play group: Leila has big eyes and often stares down people on the bus. I like to think she is honing her skills. One day, she fixed her eyes on a large, tough-looking african american man a few rows back. He smiled a little and looked back. Leila kept staring, no smile. After a couple of beats, I tried to distract her, but she had no interest in me. I finally turned to the man and said, "Wow, she's really checking you out." He looked at Leila and chuckled, "Yeah, I must be the darkest black man you've ever seen."  "Nah," I said, "here in San Francisco we see all colors of the rainbow." 

Kids on the Bus

22 Inbound/ going to Alta Plaza Park: When we got on the bus, two little girls at the back of the bus noticed Leila right away. One started waving and talking baby talk to her as Leila watched over my shoulder.  Leila smiled at the girls right away. It's funny how babies seem to be aware that children are more like them, and kind of prefer children to adults. They got off the bus a few stops later, and as mom was dragging the toddler off the bus she turned to Leila and said, "Now don't cry baby, I'll be right back." 

Polio Man

22 Outbound/ going to church: Leila is a tiny baby who has only had a few vaccines. I didn't want to get any vaccines, but her Dad and Pediatrician convinced me to get some of them. Given that we live in a big city, travel a lot, and take mass transit, I agreed. We did not however, get the polio vaccine. There hasn't been polio in the US in quite a while, so I was cool with that. Dad knows that polio is still a concern in Asian countries and thinks that San Francisco is basically an Asian country. 

I was at bus stop with Leila in a sling, and I felt a tug on my side. I turned to find a little old Asian man with a cane, shaking Leila's hand.* I didn't want to be rude to him, so I smiled and inched away. I was telling Dad about it later, who stopped me mid-sentence to say, "Wait a minute, you let an Asian man with a cane touch her?! A polio man?!" I told him not to worry, that I wiped the polio off her with a wet wipe. 

*Tip- Everyone loves little baby hands, but don't touch a newborn's hands, especially if you are a stranger. It freaks out new moms who are germaphobes. 

Screw Hats and Screw You

22 Inbound/ going to church play group: Old lady all dressed up in her Sunday best makes a b-line for me at the bus stop. Rather than telling me my baby is cute, or asking me how old she is, she took one look at her and sharply said, "That baby needs a hat".

Unwanted Help

22 Inbound/ going to church: It was a windy day, I'll give her that. We had been waiting at the stop for 15 minutes, and I was irritated. Anything over 10 minutes I get antsy, checking for the bus every few seconds, using my inner willpower to summon the bus. Out of my peripheral vision I saw this old asian lady watching me closely. She inched closer, and I knew she was walking over to give me my daily dose of parenting advice from strangers. I have Leila in several layers, snuggled up to me in her sling. I have a blanket loosely draped the bottom of the sling. Trust me, she's a hell of a lot warmer than I am. The old lady finally comes up to me, and before I knew what was happening, she took the blanket and covered Leila's face, telling me, "she too cold". Leila instantly squirmed and cried, and threw the blanket off. I told her, in my sweet voice, "she's fine, thanks". She then said, "take her home." Thankfully, the bus approached before I got to respond.