Warsaw: A day in the life

I'm not hating on Poland, but i just need to complain a bit about Warsaw's ridiculous infrastructure...

This morning I ride the metro to Plac Wilsona, where I usually transfer to the L bus which takes me to Lomianki, I sit and wait for the Bus. 15 minutes go by and I begin wondering wtf happened to my bus. I'm about to be late for my appointment. Another 10 minutes go by when I begin investigating...I look on the panel to see what time the bus is supposed to come when to my surprise - no L schedule.

I'm looking for any sign that an L bus did in fact stop here once upon a time but nothing - was I f*cking dreaming this whole time?

I go looking for the L bus all over Plac Wilson but it's completely gone, no notice no nothing. I hop back on the train and head one stop to Metro Marymont, the L used to stop there too. Here everything got worse. I got out of the metro and peered into the jumble of structures (fences, poles, bus stop booths, pieces of road, parcels of sidewalk pavement), somewhere i there should be a bus stop. After spotting what seemed to be a Bus stop I proceeded to walk in its direction when I realized that it was completely fenced off. It was right there, but I couldn't get to it, too many fences. WHY IS THE FRIGGIN BUS STOPPED FENCED OFF?!!!

Finally I notice a hole in the ground beside the bus stop - 'aha'! "I must dive undeground and re-emerge in the middle of the f*ckin street!" me thinks...So I find the nearest hole in the ground and go under...

...

20 seconds later I reemerge soaring, lunging out of the ground. I take a breath and begin moving my legs when I notice that I completely missed the Bus stop and came up through the wrong hole. OMG... This time I make sure that I spot the right hole, and I go under again... underground I see multiple holes, I carefully consider which Hole to take and I go for it - yes, I did it this time, this is the stop. I go to the panel and to my tragic despair, there's no L schedule. suddenly I realize that a tram stop I spotted earlier was in fact a bus stop, once again FENCED OFF! I almost tore out my collar bones I was so mad! This time I notice an opening in the fence near me to cross the street, I go for it, only to find that it's a dead end leading to the middle of the street, apparently the opening just releases you onto traffic.

5 full minutes later I make it to the bus stop and again no L. the L line simply died a sudden death. I go back home, unsure whether to jerk off or kill myself.

lol...

masks98,

I wouldn't immediately attribute this isolated event to the entire infrastructure of Poland. That is a grave generalization. I lived in New York City for a long time and have seen and experienced much worse. Late or canceled trains and buses without notice, subway stations closed off under construction without warning, etc. Those too were isolated events, and I cannot say that applies to all of NYC.

Overall, since living in Poland, I'm actually very impressed with the punctuality of buses and trains here. Polish authorities via PKS are careful to make sure that the most obscure villages also have some bus service, and that is nice. Many private mini-bus companies are also sprouting around Poland. I live in a village that has bus access to towns/cities that have bus/train access to the rest of Poland and Europe. For this reason, I never had the need to purchase an automobile. I frequent Warsaw, Krakow and other large cities often and have no overall complaints about public transport. Again, I tend to treat isolated events as such, and not generalize.

hey, I explicitly said that im not hating on Poland, just Warsaw's infrastructure look:


see?

And New York MTA transit can be a b*tch too, though there's usually always some kind of notice somewhere unless the problem has to do with a Bus stuck in traffic. I'm from there.

Also, and most importantly, bus stops in NY aren't fenced off randomly. You see a bus stop or subway station you can just walk right across the street and onto the sidewalk.

Bus L doesn't run anymore from Plac Wilsona new bus depot on Wloscianska, Hala Marymont serves this line since mid June.

nice thanks for the info

For future references: ztm.waw.pl/rozklady.php although as the L is a private line I believe this wont help you. Yes they change the tram and bus schedules all the time. Keeps it interesting for sure.

Hilarious, those "holes" in Warsaw can be a bit tricky to navigate, I feel your pain.

At times like those I found it best to retire to another type of hole, the watering variety. Either that or call a cab

Give it 8 months dude youll get used to it and then youll just wake in the morring thinking Ahh Kurwa, thats what we do and it helps.

Been there done that, got the fcuking T - Shirt.

I got a train with my wife and daughter in Krakow at the weekend and was told by the conductor that we needed a ticket for our baby. We said we thought we'd bought all the tickets we needed to. He said we dont have to buy it we just need to have it and that he would would make it out for us.

To travel with a baby you have to have a ticket that is free. I still dont understand.

I've been here six months and I've already gotten used to most of this crap except for the fences in the middle of the street. Instead of accepting the fact more and more each day I just get more and more pissed. They need to knock all those shits down

Don't kill yourself, otherwise there will be no more jerking off.

Excellent rant though, it brought a smile to my face.

Hahaha i enjoyed reading your story!

Welcome to Poland! You're going to have to get used to this country. It's definetly not canada/usa...

I've had ranty days like that when I lived in Italy and Germany.

Get yourself out for a beer with your mates and sit back and laugh at it all. Tomorrow's another day :)

Marymont is now the new (and nice) terminal for a lot of buslines, including the "£" from £omianki. A lot on the new terminal was written in various newspapers regularly and on this website:kmlomianki.info/

For the people living on Plac Wilsona this is a big improvement in their life quality, a lot of buses less on the square.

Besides I find Marymont easy to use, good connection to the metro, P+R...