He's now at 93 and he still takes me almost everywhere. Elegant, always in black, gray and red. It
literally
never leaves me alone
. I know that I count on him 365 days a year. Sometimes it takes a little while to arrive, especially if it is early in the morning. Without a doubt, “12” is part of my daily routine. At least since I've lived in the City.
“Tell me
your life in three groups
,” shot an X user. No doubt, 12 is the bonus of my life. Very far away in time and importance are number 6, with which, prior to crossing to the Capital (with whichever I passed first) I left Valentín Alsina behind to deposit myself in the Center. And the green 85, witness of my sleepy mornings in white overalls towards Normal 4 and the trips home with my group, boisterous unpunished teenagers.
But
it is the 12 that has reached me for years at work
, in the forests of Palermo, in the Plaza Houssay area where my doctors attend. And in his seat I went back and forth with my daughters from kindergarten and primary school.
Because of those things of fate, the 12 stop that goes south is 20 meters from my house.
“It's like taking a taxi
,” I usually tell family and friends when they ask, are you going to take the bus at this time?
The Plaza Falucho terminal is open and illuminated whatever the time and waiting there is very safe. So much so that a great strategy is to take any one that brings you closer to Luis María Campos and Dorrego (or along Avenida Santa Fe) that allows, which subway, to combine with the 12.
The story goes that the line was born in 1931, when
it was founded by a group of Spanish immigrants
who wanted to exploit a new facet of public passenger transport: "the collective." At that time
it was called “61”
due to the similarity between its route and that of the Anglo Argentina Company tram of the same number.
Since then it goes from Puente Pueyrredón (Barracas) to Puente Pacífico (Palermo), through Montes de Oca, Entre Ríos, Callao and Santa Fe.
It takes you to Alto Palermo
(less and less, crisis through) to the Zoo (sorry, I'm from another time) and to the Rural (in my case to the Book Fair).
The 12 was the first that I remember to have
air conditioning in almost all the units
: since it comes in several, in those years those of us who were in line did all kinds of maneuvers to get on the one with that little sign that promised a cool trip. and without humidity.
We already forgot, but before SUBE you had to collect coins to be able to travel. But at strategic stops a line employee cut tickets on a little stand-up machine and accepted bills! Two birds with one stone: the problem of shifting was solved and access to the car was much faster.
In Plaza Constitución, another genius. Two lines, one for those in a hurry and another
for those who want to travel seated.
For my part, lately
I have been cheating on him often with the bike
. But he knows that a love like that is never completely abandoned.