From Harlem: "Women’s Hats on a Harlem Bus," by Yanina Garbarg

Dear Diary,

This is my first time on the bus since I’ve moved here, and the women of Harlem are heading to church. (Read more here.)

From Seattle: “The Glow II” by Nathan Vass

"Congratulations again," I say as she's getting off. "You have the glow!"  I emphasize the line with a hand gesture, hoping she knows what I mean.
She looked at me for a moment. In a few short minutes we had reached a space where it felt comfortable to say such things. "Oh, thank you! You too, you do too!"

I suppose I meant the glow of being pregnant. Sometimes we find people who absolutely radiate vitality– it seems almost reductive to call it positive energy, though I guess that's what it is. They might be pregnant, or engaged, or children, or just those rare souls whose well-being explodes out of them for reasons too large to decipher.

(Read the whole story here.)

From Portland, Oregon: "THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN," by Nickareeno

I always pay my Max fare -- always, always, always. There have been a few times - and I mean a few - when I found myself standing on a moving Max car and realizing I had not paid the fare. (Read more here.)

From Birmingham, Alabama: "The people of MAX: some of the people I've met riding the bus," by Ian Hoppe for AL.com

Most of my friends, family and acquaintances, after finding out that I am riding buses in Birmingham, lead their line of questioning with something akin to, "I bet you've seen some crazy stuff, huh?"

For a variety of reasons mostly having to do with inexperience, a lot of people believe that the city's buses are a haven of revelry and mischief and that every bus ride is peppered with violence and illicit activities.

I hate to disappoint everyone when I reiterate: This could not be further from the truth. Apart from the initial excitement of a new activity, the bus rides are pretty mundane and quiet, as they should be. (Read the whole article here.)

Busboy's Annual Pass: Was It Worth It? Spreadsheet for June.

The numbers are down, but considering we were out of town for two weeks, the numbers are actually quite good. See below for the cumulative totals since January 1.