Along for the Ride is an evolving series of Portland-area mass transit chronicles. For the next, well, for the next long while I’ll be regularly riding new Tri-Met operated transit lines until I’ve ridden them all. By new, I mean new to me. I’m beginning with lines I’ve never ridden, then I’ll move on to riding other lines I have taken, until I’ve ridden every bus, railway and shuttle operated by Tri-Met (and possibly routes on other public transit systems near and far, should the situation arise). Expect stories along the way. What kind of stories? I can’t quite be certain. Some newsy. Some reflective. Some only possible in the moment. Expect guest stars too. Perhaps expect to even come along yourself.
I expect Along for the Ride to also be a laboratory for new (to me) storytelling practices and a chance for me to hone audio recording, photography, videography, interviewing, mapping, writing, editing and other skills. Don’t be surprised if different forms are used to tell stories from week to week, though it’s conceivable the series will find its own rhythm, just as transit has its own pace.
You can help set that rhythm, however. You can start by getting involved. Tell me about your reflections of transit in the comments, on my facebook page, or via a tweet to @billlascher. If you use public transit, what do you use it for? What transit lines do you ride, and why? If you don’t use public transit, explain why not. What might change your opinion about using transit, whether you currently use it or not? I want to know about transit in any city — after all, my love affair with transit writing started in LA, where transportation policy became the focus of my graduate studies — so why not reflect on your town’s best or worst routes?
For those of you familiar with particular Tri-Met lines, why not suggest in the comments what lines I should try next? Do you know of great stops along the way? If so, enter them on the map. Do you have a favorite transit story? Why not share some here, though I don’t want to step on the toes of Michael Andersen, and the great stories in each edition of his incomparable Portland Afoot (By the way, if you need something to read on the bus, or anywhere else you happen to be, I bet your $5 subscription or other support will be well worth it).
*By the way, special thanks to writer Christina Cooke for devising this series’ title, “Along for the Ride.” Check out Christina’s work at christinacooke.com.
check out Line 77, one of the longer ones in the system. Towards the eastern end, where we live, you can hop off near McMenamin’s Edgefield for a brewski. Since it also goes out to NW (Montgomery Park), you’d be near a couple of brew pubs there. Just *hic* sayin’
Great idea! Would have been great to take the 77 to a show at the Edgefield when it was still concert season. The long routes are really fascinating to me (though it’s hard to decide what to include from such long routes!).