As a self-confessed trainspotter, I wasn’t surprised by the lessons I gleaned about Israeli society from public transport (“Light rail, heavy lessons,” Snapshot, IJN, April 24). So too, riding the streetcars in the city of New Orleans.
Sure, they’re filled primarily with tourists like me, but the interactions that organically develop between the passengers and the local driver provide a hometown flavor and reminder — people in the South are friendlier than anywhere else I’ve been in the US. They’re conversational — even if it means setting people straight: “You want a trolley? Go to San Francisco!” a chuckling reprimand that only deepens the simple pleasure that comes with random exchanges.
At the same time, my trip to the Crescent City reminded me why people move to Colorado in droves. It’s not only the incredible climate, but a civility and quality standard not necessarily found in older cities. Of course, Colorado doesn’t offer the same rich culture that a city like New Orleans does. Like everything in life, there’s always a trade-off, and everyone’s calculus varies.
Despite my love of public transport, I don’t support the BRT project on Colfax. Not only because it’s hurting small, locally owned businesses, but because it was unnecessary. The 15 bus, which travels the wide span of Colfax from Aurora to Lakewood, is one of RTD’s only bus lines that runs well. Why not start with a thoroughfare in desperate need of public transport, such as Colorado Blvd.? Another reason I oppose the BRT: As a pedestrian, it is nearly impossible — at least in the completed Capitol Hill portion — to see beyond the middle BRT lane without stepping in an oncoming traffic lane. Conversely, it’s probably impossible for drivers to see pedestrians until they’re stood in the lane.
Maybe I’ll be proven wrong, and the BRT will be a success. Until it does, it is firmly in the same boondoggle status as the expanding, dangerous bicycle lanes that have not, thus far, increased bicycle transportation by significant numbers.
• • •
Back to Nola. In a bit of serendipity, last week’s theme from League of Yiddish was Jazz. A lot of the vocab is simply English words spelled in Yiddish (bepop, blues, etc), but here are a few of the less obvious ones:
cymbals: טאַצן; דזשימדזשעס; קלאַפּטעלער
[TATSN; DZhÍMDZhES; KLÁPTELER]
drums: פּױקן; פּײַקלעך; באַראַבאַנען
[POYKN;PÁYKLEKh; BARABÁNEN]
fusion: די שמעלצמוזיק
[DI ShMÉLTSMUZIK]
score (n./mus.): די פּאַרטיטור, ־ן
[DI PARTITÚR, -N]
© IJN 2026
