Bus Stop Incorporates Culture and Community
Where Navigation and North Live Oak meet, you'll find a corner unlike any other. It features a METRO bus stop that fuses transit with art: color, culture and community surrounded by a well-manicured garden.
METRO routes 37 and 48 will take you to this vibrant spot at 2601 Navigation. Directly behind the stop is Doña María's Mexican Café where owners Juan Hernandez and wife Ana have been maintaining the bus stop since 2007 when they joined METRO's Adopt-a-Stop/Shelter program.
The program teams community with METRO Police to keep stops or shelters clean, thus reducing chance for illegal activity. The program launched in 2006 and now, there are 236 volunteers who have adopted 729 locations.
Hernandez is proud of his East End community and spruced up the stop by planting flowers in the area. The café owner wanted more than a garden and commissioned a local painter to incorporate a bit of flavor.
"The customers that come off the bus and the customers that leave, they're taking pictures left and right," said Hernandez.. "They say it's a really pretty bus stop."
The man behind the art goes by the name Saldaña. "I always have a brush in my hand," said the 84-year old.
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Saldaña (pictured left) is a Denver Habor resident, retiree and METRO rider.
He's known for his work on restaurant and shop facades among other works, but this is his first bus stop.
"Nowhere in the Houston area have I seen a decoration like this, and many times, the location lends itself to the decoration," said Saldaña.
Hernandez adopted another bus stop across the street with plans to make it another eye-catching sight for METRO customers to enjoy.
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METRO has nearly 10,000 stops and shelters. If you're interested in volunteering with METRO's Adopt-a-Stop/Shelter program, please call 713-635-4000 or click here for more information.
Saldaña was recently featured on the Write On METRO blog, click here to read more about the painter.
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