I always look down, have a death grip on the railing if possible, and walk slowly. I have foot drop and neuropathy in my feet since chemo, and sometimes a foot doesn’t lift all the way, catching on the edge of the step and catapulting me down the stairs, if I’m not very alert. Last week I was carrying a load of sheets and blankets down the stairs to the laundry room and ended up on the basement floor in a tangle of sheets and blankets. The cat at the top of the stairs was extremely puzzled.
At first, that seemed like a silly question. In the cases where the subway floor is level with the platform, just roll right on. No big deal. But on the trolleys where there are a few steps? That’s trickier. But I’ve seen people do it. If it’s a stroller, sometimes the parent can lift it by themselves. Carriages are another matter. But there’s almost always someone willing to help out.
Then I thought about subway stations themselves. Some don’t have elevators. If you can’t manage stairs, you’re not using the station. And most stations here are stairs, then a turnstyle, then more stairs.
I often wonder what it’s like getting through life in a wheelchair. Not an easy thing in the places I go! But having a baby must be very nearly as difficult.
Hey limegreen, if it helps at all, those re-useable handle bags from Whole Foods hold a perfectly sized load of laundry when stuffed full. I’ve collected four of them and use those to go to the laundry room nowadays. It’s so much easier to sling a couple bags over my shoulders, and have hands free for 4 flights of stairs for me. I say the Whole Foods ones because they’re a little taller than bags I’ve gotten from other stores. They’re close to the same size as a larger brown bag but with shoulder handles. Maybe that will help?