AndrewPointon.Com

As you might imagine, gasoline here is relatively cheap at $2.35 a gallon, (it passed $4 when I was here last June) so it comes as no surprise that the car is king, and gas guzzlers are aplenty. As a result the bus service is frowned upon, considered the transportation of the poor, a last resort. Not for me, it is the transport of choice for longer distances beyond my capabilities on a bicycle. Yesterday I arranged to meet with my friend and fellow Stoke City supporter, Calvin, to have a coffee or four, moan about the state of football at the Britannia Stadium, and generally put the world to rights. Calvin lives in “historic” Riverside not far from downtown Jacksonville. My journey from the beach was some 20 miles, but cost only $1 on the bus to downtown, and 50 cents on the Riverside Trolley to get to the coffee shop at Five Points. That’s about one Pound Sterling. Admittedly I needed two different buses to get home which brought my overall journey cost to $3.50 (£2.20) for 40 miles. I travelled in air-conditioned comfort and was able to relax and read my book, an autobiography by Stoke City legend Denis Smith, which incidentally is very entertaining but clearly was never introduced to a proof-reader before publication. One passage describes team mate Eric Skeels as being only five feet nine inches, but being able to compete with forwards who were five or six inches tall. I should hope he could. I didn’t realise that the Stoke City team in the 1960s and 1970s regularly encountered opposing sides with a couple of Smurfs upfront.

Anyway if any Jacksonville residents are reading this I recommend using the bus more. It’s cheap, comfortable, and you avoid parking fees. Also you can relax and enjoy the journey rather than fight the traffic, plus you’ll be doing your bit for the environment. As usual Calvin and I somehow managed to pass nearly five hours together. I’m not sure where time goes when we meet but it must be a sign of good company. Alas our usual spot outside, perfect for people watching, had to be abandoned shortly after arrival due to a freak downpour which appeared from nowhere, dissecting a hot and sunny day. So we scurried inside and continued our discussions there. Calvin is already a stalwart of this establishment, it is his regular haunt. However the owner recognised me from my last visits, and my coffee was on the house complete with warm handshake. Thankfully the storm passed by the time I had to head back to the beaches, but it didn’t ruin my trip to Riverside in any case. I enjoyed seeing Calvin again. The return was not without drama, a police car with siren blaring pulling over a jeep right in front of me as I waited at the bus stop. I did my best not to look like a gawping tourist and adopted a nonchalant pose, acting like bus stop busts were two a penny where I come from. Actually in Beeston it’s usually police helicopters…