2012
a little ranty
maura @ 9:45 pm
It’s my blag, I can rant if I want to! Today I had to take the subway both ways to work because of the rain and some big deadlines. Dear fellow straphangers, here are the inconsideratenessess (is that a word?) from today’s commute, please refrain from them in the future:
In the morning I stepped onto the platform just as a train was coming in, which is lovely. But then I walked onto the train right after two very tall men who walked onto the train and just stood by the door, all but blocking additional entry (I squeaked by with an excuse me and minimal touching, go me!). Now I’m as big a fan as any of the standing in the doorway subway strategy, esp. on shorter trips — it fits with my whole standing desk ethos. But people, if you want to stand by the door you should be the *last* person to get on the train, otherwise you’re just blockage.
This evening I got down to the platform only to hear the dreaded message “because of a stalled train at …” I waited 15 minutes and by the time the train came the platform and subway cars were packed. After waiting patiently for the car to disgorge its passengers I hopped on the train and tried to eke out a bit of personal space. I ended up getting a seat next to a rude person, yay! The kind of person who has a seat next to the door and a free seat next to themself and doesn’t scootch over to make it easier for someone to sit in the available seat, which means that everyone just sort of stands around and looks at the seat until someone finally climbs over and through everyone’s legs and backpacks to sit in the seat, thereby giving everyone a bit more room. You’re welcome.
And the final blow: when the subway pulled into my station I nearly didn’t make it off the train in time because someone was holding onto the horizontal bar over my head and would not let go as I struggled to move past him and under his arm. The train was stopped! No bracing with grab bars required! Sigh.
At least today didn’t feature my #1 top rude subway behavior: standing in front of the turnstiles while digging through a bag or pockets to pull out a Metrocard while others pile up in a line behind you, Metrocards at the ready. Seriously, please stop it.
3 comments on “a little ranty”
I know, I know, but I hate cars even more than I dislike rude subway behavior!
That’s so weird that Wikipedia says there aren’t any walkable communities in Cincy — you should correct it!
I know, I should. The entry is kind of down on us. I like to think of this town as: frumptastic!
This is why we have cars here in the midwest. That, and there are so many hills that a subway would be kind of difficult. Plus, the subway we did have was abandoned due to bad timing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Subway
(btw it is NOT true, Wikipedia, that there are no walkable communities here. There are many. I can walk to a movie theater, a university, the zoo, parks, bars, a toy store, vet, doctors, and soon — a grocery store, which was there but closed + remodeled, to return soon.)