I'll Take the Bus!

Tell me, my avid, above-average readers, why is the bus my preferred mode of transportation in Paris?

1. It's clean.

2. It's above ground.

3. It can go pretty fast, if it's on a road with bus lanes (which the mayor of Paris, bless his voiture-hating heart, has added everywhere).

4. The bus driver is almost always friendly, and says "Bonjour" and sometimes even SMILES (SMILES!) when you walk onto the bus, which in itself makes taking the bus a happy event.

5. There are no rats.

6. You get to see the city, the in-between parts from your departure to your destination stop, that you would never see while riding the metro (unless you get off at the wrong stop).

7. There is usually not any vomit or urine anywhere.

8. You get to listen in on people's cell phone conversations (OK, I admit that this is not a "plus" of riding the bus. But I wanted to see if you were paying attention).

9. It's clean.

10. It often has more direct routes than the metro (for instance, from my house to the Marais).

11. Have I mentioned that it's clean?

12. OK - last reason. I like the colors: pale creamy green and silver. Very soothing, kind of like a big vehicular mint julep on a summer day...

(It's definitely past my bedtime).