New York, New York

In all the years that I’ve been driving, I’ve only been to New York once. And it went badly. I got lost getting into and out of the city. As a result I would threaten to quit if any one tried to make me go. Basically I’m a country girl. I don’t like crowds or noise and I don’t need bright lights at night.
I would take any trip that put me in the country where the sidewalks (if they had any) were rolled up after dark.
Fast forward to Sunday. I wrote this sitting in my bus on 42nd St near the Port Authority bus terminal facing 10th Ave! I am still shaking my head as to what possessed me to accept this job. So far it’s gone well.
Friday night I got a call from the bus company asking if I could do a trip into Fenway. Just a simple job, drop the group at Fenway, wait and return. 10 minutes later, they called again asking if I could do a trip to NY! With the BIG bus. Now up to this point I’ve only had jobs that required a mini bus, usually only 15 to 20 passengers. I think they were testing me to see how I handled getting around and how I treated the equipment. I must have passed the test!
Well, I explained that I could get to NY. That’s easy, 95 south but I had no idea how to get anywhere down there. As long as I had explicit directions I would do it. Now by explicit directions I mean get off at such and such ramp with such and such being on the sign. Take a turn at such and such street with the street sign having that name. No nicknames or such that are not easily seen from a 45 foot vehicle going 30 mph.
Turns out there were 2 other buses going and they both knew their way around. So Sunday morning I picked up my passengers and tucked the bus between the other guys and away we went. And I had a good time. There was only one small hitch having to do with fuel, the sun broke out in Connecticut and stayed out the rest of the day, the group was great and I got home at 3 am!
And I was also thinking of all the bad stuff that I had heard other drivers talk about that had happened down there as well and I was a little nervous about my personal safety as well and damage being done to the bus. So I kept a good eye on my mirrors and always locked the door when I got off.
I was enjoying my movie, knitting on The Boss’s new sweater, when I say a man standing at the back of the bus by the tires. As I watched he unzipped his pants and that’s when I opened the door and yelled “Get away from my bus!” I was not what he was expecting! I almost feel sorry for him. I bet he though the bus was empty and if not, the driver would have been a male. Not a woman with fire shooting out of her eyes and yelling at a volume that made traffic stop! I’ll be giggling over that for awhile.
And I might go to New York City again.