I’m on the Valley Transportation Authority’s Line 22 bus somewhere between East San Jose and Palo Alto. It’s 2:30 a.m., and it’s raining. I start a conversation with a man sitting down, and ask him if he’s heard the nickname for the bus.
“Yeah, well there's the Motel 22 or Hotel 22. That's the big one I've heard.”
I ask him what he calls the bus.
“I call it home.”