Louisville Magazine

MAR 2014

Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.

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3.14 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 11 7 that would run every fve minutes down Broad- way) is much harder than it sounds. An entire lane of trafc would be dedicated to buses. Would the public support that? Would government? As Evens and I talk transit in Louisville, he mentions being "surprised" that the city's never tackled light rail. "With as much as it's grown?" he asks. Of course, longtime Louisvillians remember that for eight years TARC worked to gather sup- port for a light-rail project dubbed "Transporta- tion Tomorrow" or T2. It would've serviced a lot of the load the No. 18 bus hauls in south Louis- ville. But in 2004, with all governmental eyes on the Bridges Project, T2 went on hold indefnitely. Evens says that, if nothing else, he'd like to see TARC improve its transfer system. He feels like to get anywhere, you have to head downtown frst, a sentiment echoed by others. Evens exits on Fourth Street downtown, headed for a slice of pizza before the DMV. All smiles, he thanks the driver as he steps of. Te next few hours on the 23 blur. On an af- ternoon bus headed east, the 2:30 sun radiates in. It's as warm as the guts of a space heater. Between that and the natural sway of the bus, rocking side to side, the 23 locks me in its drowsy grip. By late afternoon, workers start boarding the 23 to head home. If this were a Friday or Saturday, teenagers would fock to the bus stops. For them, bus fare equals freedom. As more bodies pack the 23, most everyone retreats to his or her individual patch of space. Hands fddle with tiny objects. An older woman gingerly unwraps a piece of butterscotch. A teenager's yellow cigarette lighter weaves between his index and middle fngers. Candy-apple-red mittens slide of an elderly man's knobby knuckles. Te bus can fip from dreary to vivid in an instant. Earlier, the 23 chugged along under a cloudy sky. Te blacks and browns of winter coats delivered a color scheme similar to weathered roof shingles. Ten a young man in head-to-toe Denver Broncos orange walked on and stood in the center of the bus, the rest of us orbiting him like planets around the sun. A few stops later a woman with hair dyed Raggedy Ann red splashed onto the canvas. Around 5:30 in the evening, a 23 heads east, destined for Hurstbourne. Back and forth the 23 will run until about 1 a.m. Each time a bus clocks out, a hose as long as a cobra and as wide as a salad plate will suck out garbage left behind. A garage (aka "the bus barn") that could easily house two football felds will take in about 200 buses for the night. Ten it all starts again. For now, the sky sops up a pleasant pink light. Te temperature starts its descent into the teens. A middle-aged woman boards in a furry tan hat and coat to match. Her black hair hits her chin with one swoopy curl, not one hair straying from the hairdo. She's headed to the Kroger at 28th and Broadway. When the doors open, she plunges in. "Oh! You are pumping the warmth in here!" she rejoices. "Tis right here? Tis is lovable!" WWW.HATSFORHOPELOUISVILLE.ORG Look for Swig at upcoming drink festivals and tasting events. For advertising information, email advertising@loumag.com or call 625-0100, ext. 32 84-120 BACK.indd 117 2/20/14 4:57 PM

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