BBQ that’s MARTA lickin’ good!
Anyone that has ever taken the MARTA Bus or MARTA Rail service in Atlanta Georgia knows that people wait for trains, trains don’t wait for people. Keeping with their schedule, MARTA is pretty good with arriving and departing on time. With recently increased rates and the recovering recession, MARTA personnel have dwindled to, what we consider, only the most qualified individuals for “Moving Atlantan’s Rapidly Through Atlanta.”
Recently, I (caleb j. spivak) had the extreme privilege of taking a MARTA bus from downtown to East Atlanta. Documenting the unfamiliar trip, what was about to happen may not surprise you. Pulling up to Glenwood Avenue, I found myself departing from bus route 23 to board bus route 9. While waiting for the connection, I heard a voice from behind. To my discern, the MARTA bus driver was standing directly behind me giving further instruction for my connecting bus. Bus driver then proceeded to the Texaco Gas station (on the corner of Glenwood Avenue and the entrance to I-20 West).
As the MARTA bus sits driverless, door wide open, key in ignition, PASSENGERS on board, Bus Driver goes into the Texaco gas station for a restroom break — hey, when you gotta go, you gotta! On his trip back to the bus, an unfathomable move: he orders BBQ from the Texaco BBQ trailer (has been there for seven months now). After receiving his order TEN MINUTES LATER, Bus Driver makes his way back to the bus.
In awe, I decide that their must be something magical about that Texaco BBQ trailer, and having yet to eat dinner, I found myself ordering. To my dismay, the food was nothing special. Something I would never have risked my job for in a downward economy.
The best part however, is that there are plans for two additional gas station BBQ trailers, one in Buckhead and one in Alpharetta; presumably along the MARTA Bus Routes.
Clark Griswold once said, “I’m so hungry, I could eat a sandwich from a gas station.” Though this BBQ might be MARTA lickin’ good, I’d say stay away and never let your hunger reach that of Clark Griswold.
13 Responses
LMAO! That is hysterical. I can’t believe you were able to take pics and then ordered some BBQ yourself. This is great!
That happens all the time. I have seen a MARTA bus driver jump off the bus to purchase lottery tickets. LOL.
I believe that these breaks are built into the drivers’ schedules by Marta. They are not doing anything wrong and still operate on time.
I’m sorry, he may have been well within his guidelines. But in this day in age, and ESPECIALLY in Atlanta, leaving an operating vehicle unoccupied is not a good idea.
As President of the Atlanta BBQ Club I want Marta to give him a commendation on his discerning taste and support of the Local economy. Hey at least it wasn’t Micky D’s!!!
http://www.atlbbqclub.com
bob– the problem is with the barbecue he chose. it was nothing special by any means. what would you, as president of the atlanta bbq club, recommend to our readers?
–cjs
i am a bus driver also only in houston we do not have scheduled breaks but we can stop any time we need to to go to the restroom and we do have to eat also so we do stop and eat in houston between 9am and 1pm and 3pm to 630 pm are restricted hours we can not stop but after that it okay for us to do so.. we dont use keys in the bus and its not easy for just anyone to drive the bus and even if they do we have a tracker and it would be a federal conviction on a person who takes the bus
In the (very)(early) 1950’s I rode (unescorted) on Big Red (trackless trolley-wires overhead) home from Second Grade at R.L. Hope School (Piedmont where Tower Place is now) to Brookhaven and the (recently deceased) Peachtree Garden Apartments. The driver (often) stopped at the Barbeque Kitchen at the corner of Peachtree and Dresden Drive for a bathroom/coffee/smoke break and would sit at the counter chatting up the two ladies that owned the place while we passengers cooled our heels on the bus. If a mama did that now, her kids would be raised by DFACS. Enroute we passed the shoe store that used to X-Ray your feet to see if the shoes fit.
wow i was on a bus one day and the driver just pulled over to a gas sation… i think he may have been ill or eaten something bad though cuz we had to stop agian not five minutes later… and when he came out the second time he was carrying a sprite bottle.