“And you know those no-smoking signs in the bus and train shelters? They actually mean it - smoking in there is AGAINST THE LAW IN CALGARY. Yes, you’re kind of outside, but no, you can’t smoke. Step two feet to the left and go do it outside the shelter, please.”
I second that one! “Outdoor” train stations are a lot more enclosed air-flow wise than the smokers think they are. My specific pet peeve: platform smokers at Chicago Union Station. Yes, you can see the river without looking through a window. But that thing over your head is a CEILING. A ceiling that traps smoke. The only reason I don’t include the other Metra terminals, where the train shed or ceiling also traps smoke, is because I don’t ride those lines to work every day. But when I did ride the UP to work, Northwestern Station (Ogilvie Transportation Center, whatever) was just as bad, with smokers lighting up right outside the doors between Citicorp Center and the platforms.
A rather attractive colleague of mine was approached the other day by one of these bus station Lotharios. I had to admire his optimism, given a) she’s happily married, b) he was twice her age, c) he was three-quarters her height, d) he looked (and smelled) as if he burrowed through landfill for a living, and e) his chat-up lines included the proud declaration that he spent twelve hours a day drinking… She let him down gently, which I think qualifies her for some kind of Genuinely Nice Person award.
Unfortunately, this area has apparently been designated as a smoking area. Why they had to put all the ashtrays just inside the doors to the Citcorp Center and right next to the train doors is beyond me. It makes it almost impossible to get to your train without inhaling smoke.
We are not on a date- a better seat opens up, and I am there. In fact it’s a little weird if the person next to you doesn’t. Like in the men’s room if their are multiple empty uninals- don’t use the one next to me please (although you don’t have to move if a “better” one opens up in this case )
Hey GoBear and other D.C. Metro users- what the heck is up with the Arlington Cemetery stop on the blue and yellow lines? Even at peak times its a ghost-town hardly anyone every uses it. Was this some sort of typical Metro blunder is building it even though there was no demand? Did congress force Metro to put a stop there? When they get backed up Metro simple skips that station. What is the point of slowing all of the trains for a stop nobody uses- it is so weird.
Yeah, it’s just weird when someone moves so as not to sit next to you. That can if they want, but is it really worth the effort?
My bitch:
If I have made my intention clear that I want to get off at this stop, but loudly saying “excuse me” and trying to get to the door, move out of the fucking way. Recently it happened that a whole buncha young high schoolers (and I’m so with you on that point, scott, my normal bus route passes two high schools around 3:30 in the afternoon) didn’t get out of the way, either ignoring me or doing it on purpose (could they really be that annoying unconsciously?) so that I missed my stop. Fuckers.
Congress did indeed force the metro to put a stop there. It closes early and is basically unused except by tourists - and not only does it only serve AC, it isn’t even particularly close to it. I don’t have the stats, but it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that it’s the least used stop.
BTW IIRC, it’s only on the blue line, not the yellow.
(Washington is one of the few metros I’ve visited, and my favourite besides Montreal. But I do have issues with the fact that it’s 10 years younger than ours, has 1/3 the ridership, and is still twice as long. Some politicians in Quebec City need their asses kicked, methinks.)
Matt’s right–Arlington Cemetery is only on the Blue Line. Remember, though, that DC is a top tourist destination, and because AC is a hallowed and important place (my dad’s there, one of many), a Metro stop there makes sense. The walk from the station to the cemetery is no more than a 1/4 mile, so it’s not that bad.
I really wish that the Metro had a circle line, like London, Tokyo, and Seoul do. It would getting around NoVa directly a snap, instead of having to go towards DC to transfer to another line going back to Virginia.
One thing I miss about the Seoul metro, apart from the ease of use and the 8 different lines. is the coffee and soda machines and newspaper kiosks on the platform.
I also wish DC would put back the trash cans in the Metro.
I’m a big guy, and unlike Elenfair’s Blair station witch I really try to keep my mass under control. This means when sharing a seat I have to keep my knees together and my elbows in. When I get a seat to myself I can let myself relax and “sprawl”. This doesn’t mean putting my legs up or otherwise blocking the other seat, but relaxed and taking up a bit more seat than I normally could without getting really familiar with the person next to me.
Counter-rant:
If you are sitting as a packed bus pulls up to the last stop, don’t try to get up from your sear and push my standing self out of your way before the bus stops and the doors open. We’re all getting off, and pressing three inches closer to the door isn’t going to help anyone. When I don’t budge and mention to you that I’m getting out here too (duh!) and will move when the bus stops and some of the sardines in front of me start leaving the can, don’t glare at me unless you want your feelings really hurt.
I am so with you on this, scott. Especially people taking up two seats on a crowded bus or train. That really bugs me. When I get on a bus crowded bus and people are doing this, I often ask them to move their bags/feet/what-have-you and sit there even if there are still single seats available, because I know most people won’t ask the pricks to move.
Do not stop the bus to ask about any bus. The bus driver does not know where the bus is or which other bus goes where. That is not his job. You will hold up an entire bus of people because you are too lazy to check a schedule.
As to people who do this at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, where there are about 500 bus information booths, there is no excuse for such inconsiderate, rude laziness.
And don’t stop the bus to ask if it is the 168 when the signs clearly say another number. All three signs are wrong?
Third on this one. I once got on a very crowded bus where a woman had put her two young children on the seat beside her, and all their stuff on the TWO seats behind them. Since there were no other seats, I moved all the stuff to one seat and sat down. She then yelled at me for “touching her things.” I said “I paid for this seat. Did you pay for four seats?” The bus driver told her to be quiet.
As to the pervert who grabbed my ass when we were standing on a very crowded bus, I’m sure he didn’t expect me to scream “What the fuck are you doing, grabbing my ass?”
That above post of mine should be about people who stop a bus to ask about any OTHER bus.
One thing was not mentioned, and that is big for me…
i take the bus to the south shore from work, it’s late, i’m tired, i want to sit down, my heels are killing me… The bus finally arrives, often late, and finally when the line starts moving, some bitch in front of you gets on bus and then decides to take her wallet out of her purse, ask the driver how much and then proceeds to count her change… Jesus Christ lady didn’t you have enough time WHILE you waited to do all that… ask around, most people know how much it costs to take the freakin’ bus…
That for me is enough to take my car across Champlain Bridge at least 2 out 3 times…
To the fuckers who sit next to me on the train all the damn time,
I’m terribly sorry that you seem to have a cold or perhaps allergies. I’m also sorry that your mother never taught you how to blow your nose and so you sit there sucking snot back into your head arhythmicly with a noise usually reserved for getting the last drop out of a Big Gulp squishy.
Common courtesy prevents me from bringing your disgusting personal hygene to your attention in public. However, if you interupt my reading even one more time with your Chinese Mucus Torture I’m going to knock you unconscious, jam a turkey baster up your nostril three-quarters of the way to your pea-sized brain, and use the extracted slime to glue you to the ceiling of the train where you will awaken hours later, scared, battered, bruised, but clear-headed and wiser.
Oh my goodness, D_Odds, that is one of my biggest peeves. It happens all the time. If I have gotten up to get to the door, and am leaning forward with intention, don’t frostily say “excuse me” and push me away. I’m getting off too, bitch.
And, another recent bus-related rant: is it so hard to be nice? I walked onto a very crowded bus a while ago, with my boyfriend and friend. We were trying very hard to make it to the back, where there was empty space. Yes, I made a mistake, I should have taken off my small backpack as soon as I got on the bus, but that would have required me to use one hand to do it, and I have notoriously bad balance. I have fallen down on old ladies, on the floor, and off seats on the bus, so I like to have both my hands free. Usually, as soon as I’m in a stable position, I take off my backpack and put it on the ground.
As I was getting into this stable position, my bag brushed this girl’s head. I turned around, and immediately said: “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She, in turn, bitched me out while I apologized several more times.
Fret not, Jools, they’re putting in new fare things. Automatic, doncha know. Apparently, all the transit corps. in the Montreal area are into it too. Yayfun.
And Metro’s escalators (when they work at all) run so damn slowly that you HAVE to walk if you want to get anyplace. In a Bob Levey column, a spokesperson said that was to minimize injuries from kids who were getting their shoelaces and other clothing caught in the combplate.
Sounds like BS to me; I’ve never heard of any epidemic of such injuries in European subway systems, which run their escalators at a reasonable speed.
And apparently there will never again be trash cans on the platforms, only on the mezzanines (and it’ll take until the end of the year to install even those) because a few paranoid idiots got carried away with doomsday scenarios.
Oh trust me, I’m not excusing the actions of obnoxious students in the least. That’s fucking annoying. I just don’t really like the idea of giving a kid some sort of drug as the first solutino instead of changes in diet and such.
I spent a couple minutes searching on Google for a cite on what I mentioned above, but could not find anything really. I will do a much more detailed search as soon as I have some time and post any info I find in this thread.
Also I totally agree with the rest of your OP. I thought I put that in my first post to this thread, but I obviously didn’t. It’s nice to stretch out on the train when you’re one of five people in the car, but when it starts to fill up, and people still think that their back pack needs a seat of its own, that’s just obnoxious. It’s too bad they don’t kick people off for this sort of behavior.
The Metro (subway) in DC often runs on a 20 min or so schedule. Nothing like 3 minutes, and can make a big difference in how long it takes to get somewhere.
Also I agree about the moving over when there is an open seat. I prefer some space, and even if you do already have my cooties I’d appreciate if you’d scoot into that spare seat and give me some space.
But when I did ride the UP to work, Northwestern Station (Ogilvie Transportation Center, whatever) was just as bad, with smokers lighting up right outside the doors between Citicorp Center and the platforms.
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