Early yesterday morning, I was standing in the freezing cold waiting for the M5 bus to take me across town for an appointment. Other numbered buses went by, but finally, after 10 shivering minutes, my bus arrived. It was crowded with NYers on their way to work, and because most of them were glued to their phones, the bus was amazingly quiet. There were no empty seats, but I was so grateful to be out of the freezing cold I was happy to stand even though I had to hold on tight to the pole because the driver seemed a little reckless. He was weaving in and out of traffic on Broadway as if he was driving a car rather than a big NYC bus and screeched to a stop when we got to Columbus Circle. A few people filed off, and a seat became available, grateful I wouldn’t have to keep holding on for dear life, I sat down, pulled out my phone, and soon became engrossed in scrolling through the morning’s news.

  I ride this bus frequently, so I wasn’t paying much attention to the overhead announcements, but suddenly I jerked to attention as the bus turned right onto 7th Avenue. It wasn’t supposed to turn until 5^th Ave. Puzzled, I figured maybe 5th Avenue was closed off for one reason or another, as it sometimes is, and the driver had to take an alternate route. I glanced around and saw a few puzzled looks, but no one seemed concerned. A few blocks later, as the driver continued on this odd route, I became convinced I had accidentally boarded the wrong bus and started to get up to check with the driver. About 10 other people were of the same mindset and were heading up the aisle in front of me. After talking to the driver, a woman turned around and announced to us that the driver had forgotten what route he was on. Huh?! Seriously?! Fortunately, I had left early (surprise, surprise) because what was supposed to be a 15-minute trip took 45 minutes as the driver cut down a side street filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

  I think what may have shocked me even more than having a reckless, absent-minded NYC bus driver take the wrong route, was the continued silence inside this wayward bus. No outward signs of frustration or anger were expressed by anyone. Who would ever imagine a busload of New Yorkers, all most likely late for work, would just get off at various illegal stops without uttering a word of complaint?

One of the many reasons I love New York is its unexpectedness!