Washington City Paper: Contents for Jan. 23

Missing the Bus
Rusting away in the shadow of the subway, the bus has long been Metro's neglected stepchild. Now the mission of Metrobus is being rerouted for the convenience of the suburbs.

Cover Story

Efficiency is not a hallmark of the A2 bus. On its wide loop through Anacostia, it lurches to a stop every few feet. Sometimes it barely clears the curb lane before it pulls over again. The driver, R.L. Simons, announces every stop and greets every patron. The trip is less about shuttling from Point A to Point B than about making many points along the way.

Simons is one of Metrobus' talkshow-host drivers. He never stops narrating and chuckling behind his big black sunglasses. "If something's going wrong with his day," says one woman rider, "you'll never know it."

On one midday route last fall, a rider stands up at the front and reminds the other passengers to stop by the Black Family Reunion event on the Mall the following weekend. Simons can't help himself. "Y'all let me know if you go," he says, pausing for effect before adding, "so I can rob your houses." The bus cracks up. Simons gives us a huge smile, filling the mirror over his head with a broad expanse of teeth.

Every time a kid boards the bus, Simons announces, "Check-in time," and extracts a high-five. Then he does it again on the kid's way out. All the while, he hands out transfers like invitations to a party.

An older woman gets on with a grin that won't stop. "We miss you on the A4," she singsongs to Simons. "Yeah," he says, laying on the charm. "They kept giving me raggedy old buses. Tryin' to kill a brother out there."... Continued

Issue of Jan. 23 - 29, 1998

News and Features

Missing the Bus
Rusting away in the shadow of the subway, the bus has long been Metro's neglected stepchild. Now the mission of Metrobus is being rerouted for the convenience of the suburbs.
Cover Story By Amanda Ripley
Riding With Mary
After a 14-hour bus ride, the Mother of God was a sight for sore eyes.
Feature By Dan Kois
Bye-Bye Miss American Chai
Nourishment for the untouchables becomes liquid chic.
The City By Jake Tapper
Technical Foul
Children often come last in Judge Susan Winfield's chambers.
The City By Amanda Ripley
Almost Blue
Carl T. Rowan Jr. walks a self-assigned beat of D.C. police corruption.
The City By Eddie Dean
Brain Cloud
The Mail By Robert Bernstein and Ph.D.
We Shall Return
The Mail By Penny Pagano
Popping Off
The Mail By Herbert Kwash
Mighty White of Him
The Mail By Ron Walker
Voracious Reader
The Mail By Amy Cohen
Hulk Mailing
The Mail By Rob Runett
Party Line
The Mail By Rodney Holland
Where's the Problem?
The Mail By Bob Roehr

Columns

A Matter of Principal
Cheap Seats By Dave McKenna
How to Try in Business Without Really Succeeding
The business of America is drudgery— and the lies we sell ourselves to keep going.
Demimonde By Arion Berger
Bottom Feeders
City Desk By Chaka FreemanLaura Lang, Amanda Ripley and Elissa Silverman
The Search For Candidate X
Loose Lips By Ken Cummins

Eats

Movies

Hell's Angel
Film Review By Mark Jenkins
Behind the Door
Film Review By Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Spice Spice Baby
Film Review By Arion Berger

Music

Edwyn Collins
Music Review By Rickey Wright
Jon Langford
Music Review By Eddie Dean
The Human Breakdown of Absurdity: MSR Madness Vol. 3, I'm Just the Other Woman: MSR Madness Vol. 4
Music Review By Dave Nuttycombe
Quite Contrary
Music Review By David Daley

Theater

For Whom the Bell Clanks
Theater Review By Bob Mondello

Arts and Events

From Art House to Our House
The Biograph and the Key are gone, but art cinema has a future in D.C.
Arts By Mark Jenkins
McSweeny Agonistes
Artifacts By Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Victoria's Secrets
Artifacts By Sean Daly