A Memorial to the number Two

If you weren't aware, MARTA is facing some severe (Draconian!) cuts.  (And, if you weren't aware, you live under a rock.  And obviously don't read my blog often enough!)  The vast majority of these, outside of reducing train operating hours, will be bus cuts.  Drastic bus cuts.  And the folks at MARTA have thought long and hard about how to organize these cuts so that they're the least disruptive to riders.  They're holding forums and taking into consideration what the people are saying.  I mean, these planners are really trying.

But they're cutting the Number Two.

The Number Two isn't one of my regular buses.  It could be, but they don't actually run at a time that works for me in the morning.  But it's a route I do take on occasion and am rather fond of.  The Two runs down Ponce from North Ave to Avondale and it is a historical route, it follows the old street car line.  In fact, one of the Two's bus stops, down by East Lake, is actually the last remaining street car stop.  So I feel a little heart broken.

Don't get me wrong, most of that area will still be served by the redirected Number Six, but the Two is such a fun route down Ponce.  All the best parts of Atlanta are down there, Eats, the Local, Green's, the Clermont.  All the coolest people ride the Two (like that dude who stared at me while I ate at Eats not too long ago), and some great stories came off that line.  Stories like the one about the bus driver who's evening poker game was robbed.  The next day, one of the punks who robbed him got on his bus, the Number Two, so the driver took him straight to the police station.

Or Harry, my favorite Ponce story.  Harry Brown was a well-known body builder in the 60's, winning national competitions.  Well, Harry lived on Ponce, Ponce Place to be exact.  One night, as Harry and a friend waited on the bus, the driver just kept on going and missed picking up Harry and his friend.  (Like bus driver's ever do that!)  So what is a fella like Harry to do?

Harry ran down Ponce and beat the Two to the next bus stop so he could wait on the bus like any nice rider.  However, as he boarded the bus, he drug the driver off of the bus and beat him down, on Ponce.  Reportedly the driver never passed Ponce Place again.

Now what other MARTA bus line is that cool?

(Thanks to my buddy LN for the stories :)