So while I'm at home for a month because of Winter Break, I've decided I want to try to take the bus to get around as much as possible. I already can navigate my little college town's (free! for everyone, not just college students) routes, and I want to try it on a bigger scale (even though it isn't free). My first experiment will be the day after I get back when my high school theatre teacher is being honored with an award. The stop is about a mile from my house and there's a transfer involved. There's a stop right in front of my old high school.
Unlike the buses around my college, which are easily labeled by color, the bus networks of my hometown are a morass of numbers, "connectors," and completely different night routes. It's the kind of thing I want to be able to deal with if I ever "make it" to Chicago or any other big city for that matter. I'd love to be able to not have to worry about gas, insurance, repairs, etc. etc.
Unfortunately I'll have to settle for practicing with buses because the fucking South and it's serious public transportation deficiency even in major cities. But that's a whole other thing.