Zen in the Art of Travel Behavior:
Using Visual Ethnography to Understand the Transit Experience

waiting at the bus stop

the 12 bus

i've been skateboarding for almost 9 years now. Skateboarding has allowed me to view the urban landscape in a very different way from most people. It is a relatively good supplemental form of transport (i.e. to take to and from bus stops, etc)

the bus was relatively full at the time, but this isn't an uncommon site.

once again, another gas price listing.

the bus stop. empty.

I didnt realize how close i was to century city when i decided to take the 5. I could easily have skated over in a few minutes. anyways, taking the bus was a nice experience

the bus took a really long time to arrive. 30 minutes must've passed. Luckily a very friendly and interesting older gentleman came and had a chat with me while we waited.

the bus hasn't arrived yet. still waiting.

I met marcel waiting at the bus stop on olympic/westwood. He was a retired Medical Doctor. When he was younger, he traveled the world. He talked about the transportation systems of different countries and about his ideas about why los angeles has such a difficult time with figuring out it's transit "problem." I was too shy to ask him for a photo of his face, so i thought a secret photo would be good enough. It was very nice to meet marcel. Meeting marcel was a perfect example of what people miss out when they are boxed up in their automobiles.

who says that LA doesn't have a certain charm?

the 5 bus was on detour so it did not go through to the mall. For many people this was an inconvenience, but for me, this was an opportunity to explore, skate, and interact with the city.