Night People

Although the good outweighs the bad, at times being car-less really can be a hassle. Such was the case when and friend of mine and I found ourselves waiting for the train under threatening clouds. Actually, we were waiting for a bus as the light rail was being worked on until later that day. By the time the bus came there was a light drizzle. We had the presence of mind to bring umbrellas and we hopped on the bus and were on our way. We decided to each grab a sandwich at Subway (Spicy Italian, sandwich of the Gods) and a few scoops of gelato at this great place next to and owned by Bombay Pizza. We made our purchases at Subway and then walked a few blocks past Bombay to Gelato Blu. We decided my Spicy Italian would be a bit too strong to eat in such a small place like this gelato parlor so we opted to partake in the dessert part of our meal first and then eat our Subway sandwiches at Rice. We stayed for a while eating gelato, trying new flavors such as Michelangelo and tobasco green apple. It was truly a great time. We faced the increasingly bad weather as we went towards the alternative light rail bus route. Luckily, the trains were back up and running so we were able to wait underneath the nearest rail platform instead of in the rain. When the train came we walked on a took a seat in the middle of one of the trains. The lights were kind of flickering on and off a little but no one ever said public transportation was fancy, so I paid little attention to that and laughed and joked around with my friend as we made our way back to West U, eager to get to the commons and to my sandwich. We were making  our way through midtown when all of the sudden we began slowing down. There didn't seem to be any traffic so I was wondering why we were stopping. We came to an abrupt stop and the lights shut off completely.  I don't know how you guys react to being stuck in a small space with 20 people you do not know in the middle of a stormy evening but I personally do not respond very well under such circumstances. I sat very quietly while people cursed and paced nervously up and down the seated pathway. The lights flashed on for a few moments, before dimming once again. The driver announced over the speakers that there was some sort of delay and that we would be moving as soon as we were able. My friend and I remained seated and I decided to just relax and watch what was going on around me. Two guys would sit for a while, then hop up and walk really fast to another seat, which was really odd. Another lady decided it was a great opportunity to breast feed her infant so she began doing that (I'm assuming, I looked away rather quickly). While all of the was happening the gears underneath our feet creaked and groaned and the rain beat against the train. I tried my best to be patient but my hunger was increasing and so was my irritation. Finally after about 20mins the train sprang to life and we were on our way back towards West U. Never have I been so relieved to see the hedges. We walked off of the platform and hurried over to the commons to enjoy our food (and wash our hands).

Dude, Where's My Bus Part 3

But, he continued, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. As it turned out he is David Thorne, President and Director of the Urban Mass Transit Union. His words have moved President Obama enough to have them included in his most recent State of the Union address.We exchanged a few words about what we both thought a union was and what the masses felt they needed in order to be productive and active citizens in society. Soon enough, I was at my stop and only a short walk away from my friend's house and cupcake paradise. We exchanged contact info and I hopped off of the bus.

Dude, Where's My Bus Part 2

We drove onto the HOV lane and set forth towards the destinations. We went through several commercial areas before passing up Greenspoint Mall. We drove into the Aldine area and made a right. At this point the bus driver informed us that is was the end of the line. Now, I don't know if any of the readers out there are familiar with the area between Aldine and Greenspoint, but it is not a place to be unexpectedly dropped in to. But regardless of how I or the other 10 or so passengers felt, we all had to get off and find a way to our destinations. As I walked off of the bus, a few guys had some choice words to tell the driver, and after he hammered everything out with them, I asked him if there was another route I could take to reach my destination. "Young lady hang a left at the street up there and wait at the stop. Another bus will come by to take you where you need to go." I thanked him and as I walked toward the marker I looked up how far away I was from where I wanted to be. A mere 4.5 miles!! Another 5mins down the road and I would've been knee deep in cinnamon cupcakes. I made my way to the bus stop and noticed a guy following me. I was a little caught off guard at first but then I recognized him from the bus. We exchanged glances and took a seat on the bench. He asked me in broken English, "This bus to Bush?" I told him yea, the bus we were waiting on ends at the Bush Intercontinental Airport. I checked the bus schedule and as it turned out, the next bus wasn't scheduled to come for another 45mins. I determined that walking would take even longer, so I slumped  back into the bench and prepared myself for the wait. Looking around, I remembered the guy sitting next to me. He seemed like a cool dude, so I decided to strike up a conversation. As it turned out he was on his way back home to Tokyo, Japan. He was visiting a few friends on holiday (as he called it). We must have looked like an odd pair, sitting there at the bus stop in a high crime area laughing and carrying on like good friends, but the time soon passed and a while later the promised bus came around the corner and came to a stop in front of us. I took my usual spot nearest to the door and bid the fellow traveller goodbye as he made his way to the back of the bus. I caught the eye of the bus driver, which was strange considering he was supposed to be looking at the road. The usual Rice U/basketball questions arose, as I had on some of my Rice travel gear. The driver went on to say he was originally from Maryland and made his way down here playing collegiate basketball. What surprised me was that he said it was perhaps the worst mistake of his life.

Dude, Where's My Bus? Part 1

This particular bus ride separates itself from all of the others because this was not one that was quirky or amusing,but a ride where I meet a couple of extremely interesting people. It all started in my once a week, 3 hour art history class. as much as I love art and history, there is only so much of it I can take continuously before I tune out. By the time we were well into hour 2 I had organized and purchased a spring break flight to Destin, FL with a few friends and made plans to eat cupcakes and watch tv with a good friend of mine after class, with my way of getting there being the Metro. We were getting out of class around 4pm and I thought I would be able to beat the 5 o clock traffic if I started out on my adventure during daylight hours. I walked over to the rail stop nearest to my college (MUUUUUURRRT!!!!) and a train promptly arrived. I hopped off at the downtown transit center and walked over to the corresponding bus stop. I looked to my right, then my left, and there it was! Not even 3mins of waiting the bus rolled proudly down the street before pulling up to the stop. Looking back now I should have known that since things were going so unbelievably smooth it was only inevitable that thing would take a turn for the worse. But while things were still good, I took a seat near the front, opened up a Special K bar, and checked my messages as we went through downtown and headed north.

NCAA Finals and Pole Dancing

Ok. So this is what you need to understand about two important sports in the South. Basketball and football bring out the best characteristics in everyone, especially when your own favorite team is not involved and you are a non biased observer. You sit back, don't really care who wins, and just watch the sport for the love and respect of the game. Bringing the 2011 NCAA Final Four to Houston was perhaps the best idea whomever came up with the idea ever came up with. It seemed to get many areas of the city involved, and the normally sleepy downtown was awakened and full of events and activities within walking distance from one another, which if you have ever been in Houston know that  is a feat all in itself. Through a program within our Athletic Academic Center I was able to volunteer at Bracket Town to teach a group of kids how to shoot layups and the importance of dribbling the ball as you run around the court. Directions in hand, I hopped on the Light Rail and headed towards the George R. Brown Convention Center where Bracket Town had set up camp. I was immediately greeted by smiles and high fives from a goodhearted group of friends. They were in between bars (prime happy hour hours) and figured the light rail would be their safest mode of travel. What they failed to realize is that the rail also served as the most amusing mode of travel for anyone riding with the group that day. They soon moved on from the High Five greetings and started dancing using some of the support poles in the middle of one of the rail cars. I guess they wanted to share their fun because they started inviting people to join them. I had already worked out that day so I stayed seated but a number of good humored people joined in as the train headed into downtown. A few people fell, some slipped, others were really getting the hang of it and a couple had me convinced they were professionals. Regardless, the ride into the heart of downtown conveyed the great vibes felt around the city had during the Final Four. As I stepped off of the train, I exchanged high fives with the group one last time and headed in the direction of Bracket Town, ready to volunteer and happy to take those memories with me.

Illegal, Sweet Aromas

My good friend and teammate Maya and I decided to take advantage of a rare workout and practice free morning to go for a do-nut (or 4) at Shipley's. We opted not to use her schweet Mustang and instead decided to hop on the Light Rail. As we waited to cross the busy West-U intersection separating us from the Metro platform two trains of course came by and left, as they and other forms of public transportation tend to do when you're really in a rush to get somewhere. As the second train pulled off we arrived on the platform and made the joint decision not to sit on any of the benches. We walked past a fellow traveller and over to the electronic kiosk to pay our fare when I smelled unmistakeable aroma of weed, pot, whatever. I tried to play it off (for what reason I do not know) and began to ignore it, but Maya quickly blurted out, "what is that smell?" in a way that revealed that she knew exactly what said smell was. We both turned around and sure enough the fellow traveller decided to have a few puffs of the blunt now sparked and in full effect in his hand. I feel his extreme comfort in sitting in such a public area calmly smoking this large marijuana cigar subdued our initial shock fairly quickly. And while I do not ingest any type of illegal substances I am indifferent to the preference of others to do so or not. My shock now gone, I kind of thought he was pretty cool, minding his own affairs and enjoying his free morning just as much as Maya and I were. As that shock left me, my hunger quickly returned, and with my focus now on the next train arriving, Maya and I exchange greetings with the lone smoker before hopping on the train. He was a little too out of it to actually get out on train, and as we walked into Shipley's and the famous aromas hit my nose, I was almost tempted to bring a do-nut back to our free spirited fellow traveller.

So Long Honda, Hello Metro

If you live in the sprawled out region that is the Greater Houston Area and are over the age of 15 it's only logical that you have some mode of personal motor transportation. Enter my Honda Accord. It had been in our garage ever since my mother picked me up from after school care back in the fall of 1997.  By the time I received my license at the age of 16, it was still in great driving condition and had a pretty sweet stereo system as well. A few minor dents and two years later, the Accord and I arrived on Rice University's campus. Wheels at my disposal, I was ready to take on the city whenever I pleased and burn the emission into the abyss. But being in college changed me. A more environmentally conscious Brianna emerged, and as the semesters went on I used my car less and less, preferring my longboard or carpooling with my less enlightened schoolmates. I said a final goodbye to the vehicle one fall and exchanged it for $800 and a Metro Card, courtesy of one of one of mother's clients that fancies himself a mechanic and some department at our school whose name escapes me at the moment, respectively. Metro Card in one hand and some cool cash in the other, I headed to the nearest bus stop for my first adventure sans Honda.

Juggling Things and Metro Cards

I've decided to blog my travels on the Houston Metro. The idea came to me during a ride to a friend's house. During my time at Rice University I've used the City of Houston's public transit to venture all across the city. Our school supplies all of its students with Metro Card's gratis. At the end of every round trip I have a handful of stories that I can share with friends at school, so I thought it would be a good idea to share a few of them here with you all as well. So as I juggle two jobs, being a full time student, and the highs and lows of varsity basketball within the hedges, I will keep you all updated with my interesting adventures across the 4th largest city in America.