Buses Walk in Russia

If you don’t get the joke, too bad. It’s based in Russian grammar. Just know that they do.

I’ve now taken the bus twice. Once with a friend and once by myself. It’s a long ride – it takes just as long to get to Smolny by bus as it does to take the Metro – one simply walks less.

On the positive side – I get to see more of the island by riding the bus. The metro does have the disadvantage of being underground. Unfortunately, the sections of the island that the bus goes through are dominated by auto shops. This area is the Saint Petersburg equivalent of Summer Avenue for those of you playing from Memphis (and Uncle Roman).

But, on the whole, I’m not loving the bus. They seem to be more crowded than the metro – it’s much more difficult to maneuver one’s way in and out of the bus. And, they’re dirty. I watched a guy toss his still partially full can of beer on the floor. He refused to pick it up when the conductor asked him to. So obviously, the solution is to kick the can of beer out from under to the seat, in front of the guy, and then off the bus into street, sloshing the beer all over the floor of the bus. Oh yes. The Metro tends to be a bit cleaner.

Surreptitious people watching is more difficult on the bus. You’re either looking at the back of people’s heads, or all of two feet away from a very angry looking Russian woman, or there’s a real crowd and someone’s behind is hanging out in front of one. And people watching (done discreetly – of course) is one of the highlights of my commuting experience.

So currently, I’m not loving the bus – but we’ll see when it actually gets cold.