On the Road – Essential Passengers, Pole Warmers, Gay Benches and More
April 21, 2024
Highlights and lowlights from yesterday’s bus/foot trek to and from the Great State of New York:
1. Upon arrival at the Fairview Mall bus stop, I noticed an older guy struggling to figure out how to use the new fare machine. A black guy came around and offered to help him, though neither could seem to get a handle on how to buy a ticket. It was the classic case of the blind leading the blind. One can only wonder how such people function in society. Buying a bus ticket should hardly be the biggest challenge you face in life.
With a line building behind them, a black woman with turquoise lipstick soon arrived on the scene. “This is criminal,” she said, pointing at the machine. “This is a system for the government to track you. This is a stupid system. Stupid people create a stupid system.” She then babbled on about how she was part of demonstrations in Trinidad and Nigeria fighting for freedoms.
By some miracle, the old guy at the machine finally got his ticket. “This machine is too much for me,” he said as the black woman stepped up to buy her ticket to go to the Falls. And after lamenting how the government is tracking her, she paid for her ticket with a credit card. Practicing what you preach evidently didn’t apply in her case.
With ticket in hand, she turned her attention to a nearby waiting passenger. She asked if he was from El Salvador. She said she could recognize the mannerisms of people from El Salvador because she used to work at immigration in Fort Erie, where she was headed to see her grandson who was playing in a big game. The guy, however, said he was from Colombia, though his brother, who helped him get him into Canada, was from El Salvador. She went on to say that she had come to Canada from Jamaica in 1974 and she was never sick one day while working. “I’m not going down until I go down,” she said. She added that her family has longevity. Two of her grandparents lived past 100. Her grandmother was still driving at the age of 98.
When the regional bus pulled up, she decided to take it rather than wait for the GO bus, even though she had already purchased her GO ticket. She told the regional transit driver that she didn’t have any money on her, so he let her ride like a Winnipegger. He even gave her a transfer after she asked which connecting bus she needed.
2. Sitting in front of me on that regional bus was someone so essential he needed to display that fact on the back of his jacket . . .
3. Near the Glendale Avenue interchange was an Ontario government sign on the QEW which read, “New Infrastructure Improvements.” If the infrastructure is new, why does it need improvements?
4. Please stand behind standee line . . .
5. Handcrafted pole warmers around the intersection of Main and Ferry . . .
6. A special bench for gays to take a load off . . .
7. Must be waiting for some door opening specials. Or not.
8. Video showing the walk across the Rainbow Bridge in both directions:
9. Even in Niagara Falls, New York, steps away from the ’hood, people have to be reminded to lock their vehicles and remove valuables . . .
10. Scenes in Art Alley off Third Street . . .
11. Where do the Caucasians park?
12. Something a sick duck might say . . .
13. Not surprisingly, the only item available in this food pantry was a box of Kraft Dinner. Even the poor don’t want it.
14. Video showing the walk through the state park from the new welcome center to Goat Island and Terrapin Point:
15. Even though it’s late April, the state still wants you to watch out for extreme ice and dangerous conditions. You can never be too careful apparently.
16. Because gays with mental health issues are more important than others . . .
17. An older guy at the information desk inside the welcome center was giving me an odd stank-eye while I took a seat and was writing a few notes.
18. Spotted in the One Niagara shop right by the bridge was a guy wearing a hoodie with the message, “If you don’t like Trump, you won’t like me. And I’m fine with that.”
19. In front of me in line at Canadian customs was a young woman with a Reisepass from Bundesrepublik Deutschland, marking the second time in the last year I’ve crossed back into Canada side by side with someone from Deutschland.
20. The CBSA officer who served me asked, “You spent three hours wandering around the state park outside?” Uh, yeah. It wasn’t exactly 30 below outside.
21. Lineup of cars waiting to get onto the bridge . . .
The call of the Great State of New York is indeed powerful. Kind of like the magnet used by Wile E. Coyote . . .
22. Selfie magnet inside the Rainforest Cafe . . .
23. Ahoy!
24. I get the feeling that porch pirates are a problem in this neighborhood. Call it a hunch.
25. Nearby was a posting for a lost cat with the owner offering a $200 reward. If your cat is so valuable, consider not letting it freely roam the neighborhood as so many do.
26. Plaque honoring Terry Fox outside Niagara Falls City Hall . . .
27. Wish you were here . . .
28. Another nice scene to greet tourists when they get off the bus . . .
29. Dear City of Niagara Falls: The washroom at the bus terminal is a dump. In fact, the entire terminal is a dump. Isn’t it time you got around to creating a more welcoming place to greet the tourists who bring so much money into your city?
30. While getting a regional transit pass at the desk, a tourist was lamenting how complicated it was to pay. “In England, you just tap your card.” Before leaving to catch the #104 bus, she made sure to ask if the buses go along the back streets.
31. A big, fat guy who boarded the GO bus I was on couldn’t find his phone. Figuring he left it in the car of the driver who took him to the terminal, he ran off to the parking lot to flag him down, leaving his luggage on the bus unattended. After he retrieving his phone, he took a tumble that probably registered on the Richter scale, but when he got back to the bus, his luggage was still there untouched. Once again, this is not the Old Country.
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