I did not plan on spending four hours of my Sunday on the M86 bus, but it happened, and I actually had a great time.
After picking up something from a store all the way on 2nd Avenue, I needed to figure out the best way to get back to Morningside Heights without the hassle of walking through the park in the rain or paying $45 dollars for an Uber. I planned to take the Q downtown and then transfer to the 1 train and get off at my beloved 116th Street-Columbia University station. However, every higher power was looking down on me that day and the second I left the store, the M86 Select Bus pulled up to the stop, and I knew I was meant to get on that bus.
I am a bit embarrassed that I had no idea how to use the select bus despite having lived in New York my entire life. However, the driver was really nice and told me I was using the wrong machine the whole time . . . oops.
Compared to my childhood crosstown bus the M14D, where you pretty much had to physically fight to get a seat, the M86 was actually quiet. There was just something really soothing about being in a calm, empty bus driving through the rain. Plus, the best part of the M86 is that it goes through Central Park. You cannot compare the M14’s route, which passes by Union Square, to driving through the park on the M86. No one on the bus, nor anyone I talked to afterwards, thought this was as exciting as I did.
Enjoying my experience so much and finding it a better alternative than the dark hole that is my dorm room, I decided to crack open my textbook and learn about the magic that is macroeconomics on the bus. While I find the subway to be a bit distracting to study on, this bus had a great view, was silent, and allowed me to take a step away from the distracting campus. In return, I got a bit distracted and missed my stop. However, once I realized that I had already passed Broadway, I just decided to stay on until the bus looped around and brought me back to my train station.
The driver did not seem to care that eventually I made it through five complete laps until I got off the bus. I paid my $2.75. Always pay for the Select Bus. The MTA has inspectors that randomly board the bus and check to make sure everyone has a ticket. If the inspectors find you without one, they will fine you $100 and make you get off the bus, even if it is snowing and freezing cold outside.
While some may trash the bus as slow, dirty, and inefficient—all of which are true—I have come to respect the bus as possibly the best place to get some work done. Finals season is stressful, but if you put yourself in a situation where you can really focus, the procrastinating stops, and the work starts getting easier. Even if you don’t want to study on the bus, find somewhere that makes you feel the same way that the bus makes me feel. Make finals a bit less stressful and explore different places until you find a place where you can focus.