A Bus Ride Downtown

Last week I made one of Edith's dreams come true: a ride on a COTA bus.

COTA is the public transportation system in Columbus, and there are several bus stops a short walk away from our house. We frequently see the buses fly past when we take walks in the neighborhood.

So last Monday morning, armed with my bus fare in quarters, we took the bus to downtown Columbus. The ride was only about a half hour, and Edith kept her eyes glued to the window the entire time. Even Atticus was content on my lap, watching the passing scenery.

Downtown, we walked through Columbus Commons -- pretty empty now that it's fall -- and to the Statehouse. We strolled around the grounds and then inside, to the basement museum, up to where I used to work on the House side, and finally to the rotunda. Then we ate a packed lunch on one of the many benches lining the Statehouse lawn.

The ride back was nearly as fun for the kids, and when I told Edith to pull the cord to request our stop, she didn't seem to notice that another passenger beat her to it. Best of all, we were back before nap time! It's definitely a field trip we'll soon repeat.