Seeing somebody lick their finger to turn the page of their paper and place it back on on the metro pole & repeat makes my stomach turn.
Man yelling into phone on a crowded Metro make not for pleasant trip.
We saw these tweets this morning, which got us thinking. What is some of the most disgusting, annoying or rude behavior you've seen on Metro?
Either use the comments here or hit us up on Twitter @unsuckdcmetro. We'll compile a list.
Or maybe you agree with this guy? (thanks @itslikesovonni)
Here's a good one to start:
@liz_canuck saw a woman cutting her TOE NAILS on the metro this morning...!!!!
Oct. 11, 2012
February 21, 2012
March 4, 2010
Posts
.svg){kind=link}
344 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 344 of 344I actually had a woman sit down next to me on the morning commute, and she started breastfeeding her infant. Talk about inappropriate metro behaviour. I've also seen people do make up, clip there nails and skin, pick there nose, pluck eyebrows, and the list goes on.
Hopefully this will provide some clarification for the bleeding hearts on this blog contemplating why people don't give up seats to pregnant women. PREGNANCY IS NOT A DISABILITY. Reserved seats are for the disabled and people over 60 years of age; plain and simple. No one else is "guaranteed" a seat on the train. Pregnancy is a CHOICE, and just as they chose to become pregnant, they may also chose to not take Metro if they expect to sit down. If it's a high-risk or otherwise tough pregnancy, I doubt if most doctors even recommend women put themselves on a packed Metro train! Another point-who in their right mind wants to sit on the train and try to ASSUME that a larger woman getting on a train is pregnant? Are riders supposed to ask every large woman who steps onto a train if she's pregnant and would like a seat? SERIOUSLY?
@anonymous 9:25
Ask pretty much any woman to tell the difference between one who is pregnant and another who is just obese. Well, widen the field, practically anyone with a bit of sense.
Oh, and while you are at it? Ask that same group if people who are pregnant should get a seat. Oh, and if you are so uptight about the reserved seating bit, how about them being given a normal seat?
That brings up an interesting point though, assuming you do you ask all non-seniors sitting in reserved seats if they are disabled how do you know that pregnant woman you are bleating about is not as well? Not all disabilities are obvious nor do people carry signs announcing them.
To start this might be the best thread I’ve ever read. Next, within 5 years there will be NO Metro – it will be completely broken and unable to run ANY escalator (see Dupont Circle north entrance/exit that hasn’t worked for two weeks, invariable ‘single tracking,’ weekend schedule) not to mention trains.
Okay, here are the usual suspects:
1. Left side standers (obviously the most common).
2. ‘Yellers’ behind you trying to get off or on the train while you are also trying to get off or on the train. I LOVE telling them to STFU.
3. Isle sitters. I insist on sitting with these types.
4. Juveniles that play their iPod at max so that regardless of using headphones you can’t help but be party to (hear) the nonsense.
5. Someone sitting with you when there are other ‘doubles’ completely vacant (creepy).
6. Ring tones.
7. Eating (seriously, steamed crabs!?).
8. Conductors threatening to off-load the train due to passengers blocking the doors (not that I don’t like ‘door blockers’). Again, STFU and drive the train (although there is no driving involved). Conversely, learn English.
At the same time:
1. There are LOTS of beautiful women on the Metro. Just because there are plenty of obese Americans doesn’t mean that statistically the same holds true with DC. Gawking is one thing, but appreciating is a different animal.
2. I will stand in the middle of the carriage even if there are empty seats. How is that a problem?
3. Although I do weave my way to the middle – it makes plenty sense to ‘park’ yourself at least near the door if you’re a couple stops away because yes the conductor WILL close the doors before you can disembark.
4. Getting ‘up’ from your ‘inside’ seat prior to the train stopping is nothing but logical and considerate. If that causes an ‘isle sitter’ some consternation, tough sh!t.
All, good luck and be safe.
THANK YOU, Anonymous 12/11/09 for your second #3 and 4! :-) I'm trying to figure out what's up with all the posts knocking people who are smart enough to make sure they can get out of their seats on time. Guess those are the lazy people who cram themselves into the isle seats then think they're too good to get up! If they're too good to get up and allow someone to get off the train in time, they can either stand out of the way or only sit in the window seats. Oh wait-guess they're ALSO too special to sit in the window seats and be trapped by someone who may block them in, right! These are quickly becoming the worst people on Metro. Right up there with the rude, obnoxious ones who take the place where you were standing near the door when you try to be nice and step off the train to let others off. (They're number one on my list of wasted space on Metro)!
I recently saw a man on a crowded rush-hour train doing the usual sitting in the aisle seat and blocking the window seat. But this guy took it to a new level - he was reading a paper and "didn't notice" when people asked if he'd let them get to the window seat AND he was holding his paper out at arms' length so it blocked half the aisle.
Some woman SET HER BAG IN MY LAP so that she could rifle through it. After hitting me with it multiple times, she just placed the GIANT black purse on my legs to look inside. I snarled; she recoiled. I should have punched her in the face.
Some obese whiny little 20s something whore nearly spilled her latte on me this morning...Doesn’t' she realize that those lattes are part of reason she is so obese and greasy faced in the first place? And to continue, you aren't supposed to bring your lattes on the metro. I should have flipped her Starbucks back into her fat ugly moon face.
But wait, let's not be mean to the conceited chubby unhygienic princesses, now because Someone on this blog claimed that there are a lot of beautiful women on Metro. Well, this may be true, but remember Washington is an international city - these beautiful women of whom you speak; are they American?
Ha! probably not. :)
@ Ha! probably not. :):
Oh my goodness, you busted me. The LOTS of beautiful women I was speaking of are ALL non-Americans. As everybody knows, there is no such thing as a beautiful American woman. Forgive me for trying to deceive all the readers.
You must be some sort of international man of mystery with only the finest taste in woman (which obviously excludes those nasty Americans, yuck).
Gosh, can I be your pupil?
Umm, nevermind. Just got caught up in the sarcasm (felt compelled to actually say I was being sarcastic because I doubt you'd have caught on).
Seriously, you sir/boy/whomever - are a fool.
Next, sure it was impolite/wrong that Ms. Something might have risked even spilling here coffee on you. However, had you flipped it into her face, well son (as in SON, meant to belittle you - again translating so you understand) - had I been present I WOULD have had a HUGE problem with that (umm, what do they call that? Assault and Battery? But your honor, the alleged victim was only "Some obese whiny little 20s something whore." Oh, well then that's fine, case dismissed).
Besides, you CAN bring food and drinks into Metro stations and onto trains so long as you don't consume them.
Anyway, happy holidays to all - especially our friend Ha! probably not. :).
Peace,
This ‘holier than thou/I’m the center of the universe’ self-awareness that you have displayed so ineloquently only supports the original post.
People who suck snot back in to their head.
I once had someone fall asleep ON MY SHOULDER while riding the metro. I was in the window seat, he was in the isle seat and snoring away...
@ Anonymous APRIL 8, 2009 1:04 PM: To be fair, I often cannot sit down even when there is a seat available because they are many times the backward seats. I must be sitting in the direction the train is moving due to motion sickness. Better to be in the isle than spewing on someone's lap.
Early morning on the Green Line, a neatly-dressed man in a suit was digging around in his nose. He'd locate his prey and promptly eat it. The chewing was regularly followed by a chuckle and self-satisfied grin. I already frequently feel 'sea-sick' on the metro and this very nearly sent me over the edge.
Winner of pathetic behavior described below. A heavily pregnant woman gets on a crowded red line car. No one gives her a seat and she stands in the middle of the car in plain sight of all. A stop later, I am ashamed enough to give her my seat. I nod to the woman and motion her towards my seat. As she's walking over, some other bozo woman (clearly not pregnant) cuts in and grabs the seat. The cutter eventually gave up the seat but only after I angrily hissed at her.
To those with bleeding headphones: PLEASE spring for some decent ones and stop torturing us with your horrible migraine-inducing noise!
when the train is crowded, if people took their oversized bags off their shoulders and backs, and simply held it below, there'd be more room for everyone.
There'd also be no danger of a giant backpack smacking an elderly woman in the face who is sitting, which I saw the other day.
I'm sure it's already been said, but Im tired of people blasting music from there cell phones. No headphones at all. I know it's small and you may think everyone loves listening to the song you're playing but we don't. Silence is golden on the metro.
I walked to other end of the platform cus some dude started trying to hit on me. He screamed "SLUT!" after me.
Notice to all men: Women are riding the metro to get places not to get laid.
Saw the WORST RIDER EVER on the platform at Pentagon City! While waiting on the train to arrive, I happened to see a "man" blow snot rockets INTO HIS BARE HAND, then shake his hand over the cement barrier so the stuff went onto the floor between the station area and the wall. Disgusting!!!!! Then (BIG surprise), when the train pulled up, he got on and the first thing he touched with the SAME hand was the pole. Fellow metro riders, there are people (and I use that term very lightly) out there doing awful stuff like this during cold/flu season, so if you're not the type to wear gloves in the winter, take hand sanitizer with you-and USE IT!
1) tourists who think that each member of their family deserves a double seat on which to places his/her feet. Generally, these people then proceed to holler at one another across the car.
2) truly irrational germophobes. Like most humans, I occasionally have an itch in my throat and may (shudder!) let out a little dry cough. I always cover my mouth, but there is occasionally the rider who gets up from next to me, gives me a look like I'm a carrier of ebola, and then moves as far away as possible. I'm not talking about a hacking, persistent, cough that practically sloshes with phlegm, I'm talking about a quick, dry cough.
3) platform spitters. Enough said on that one.
I was sitting in the aisle seat one time and an older man was sitting by the window. Sometime during the course of our short ride together as seat partners he falls asleep...only to periodically wake up every 2-3 minutes or so to look at me and smile and with his eyes give me a silent 'thumbs up' kind of look.
No, this is not a rider we hate....but nevertheless worthy of mention.
Older sleeping thumbs up guy is DYNO-MITE!
“Notice to all men: Women are riding the metro to get places not to get laid.”
Notice to Anonymous: 1.17.2010:
All men? You’re a cretin, and most likely well short of something to look at to begin with.
When you make generalizations as asinine as what you wrote, you only look like a fool.
Seriously, don’t you think there might exist perhaps one or two men in all of the Washington area who ride the metro to go to work or for any other reason that does not include falling over themselves for a whiff of your dirty knickers?
Thanks for the laugh, princess!
With all the comments about strollers, you guys missed the worst one - strollers on the escalator. If I hadn't been in a hurry last night I could have gotten a picture of the BEST ONE YET! Mom and dad, 2 kids, 1 stroller. Get on the escalator at Metro Center with neither kid in the stroller but the stroller still open (i.e., they didn't collapse and carry - both the stroller and the kid - which is the only way strollers should be on the escaltor), abreast with the kids. Both kids way old enough to walk, obviously. Stopped up the whole Red to Blue/Orange transition at around 5:30. Fun people, lucky to be alive, I'd say.
And the carrying the kid is not optional, BTW. There's this evil woman who gets on at Federal Triangle at the same time I do in the evening (ALWAYS the same time, though my work schedule is unpredictable...) who carries the stroller and makes her 2-ish year old WALK down the escalator, which he's not very good at, and he IS very slow at, which slows everyone down and is dangerous. I guess it's okay if you STAND TO THE RIGHT with the kid IN FRONT OF OR BEHIND YOU, but not stand abreast with them and PLEASE GOD, not make them WALK down the escalator!
How about the D-U-D-E on the Red Line this morning between 7:00-800 who was painting his fingernails? Taking metrosexual to a whole new level, aren't ya?!
i once sat next to someone who pulled off his shoe and clipped his toenails... no he didn't pick up his clippings...
on several occasions, same guy pulled out his electric razor and shaved... leaving his stubble behind...
i can't be happier to be far away from DC...
oh, and a word of advice to lady who liked that people left their newspapers behind? who know what thos folks were doing? sneezing, blowing noses, licking fingers to turn pages? i wouldn't touch anyone else's paper... ever...
Top Ten:
1. left side standers
2. eaters/drinkers
3. door blockers
4. loud/obnoxious ghetto kids
5. on the bus: loud cell phone talkers
6. gross pervert men who try to grope
7. on the bus: people who use cash
8. stinky people
9. strollers as big as SUV's
10.headphone music so loud everyone else can hear it clearly
Get a clue people! You're in public!!!!
PLEASE stop drinking coffee on the Metro in the mornings. If you want to leave your Cheetos crumbs everywhere, fine. But I don't want scalding hot coffee burning me when the train screeches to a halt and you spill.
How many times at rush hour has someone walked up to the gate only to place his/her bag or purse on the console and begin looking for their fare card or smart trip with numerous people waiting behind them?
Move to the side and get out of the way! There are many people who used common sense and already got out their fare card or smart trip.
p.s. Simple common sense and courtesy is so lacking today.
It was one of those days where everyone is cramped in like sardines. A man right across from me kept rubbing his yes…his extremely PINK eyes and then grabbing hold of the pole. I was horrified. First of all, who knew anyone could get conjunctivitis in BOTH eyes?! Secondly…gross!! Go to the doctor and DON’T get on the train grabbing everything. Let me say I do NOT miss having to rely on Metro. I now live downtown and walk/bike pretty much everywhere.
people that lean on the pole so they won't have to touch it with their hands and then no one can grab that pole
@Anonymous February 23, 2010 3:20 PM. . . Are you kidding me? That's the best time to grab the pole!! When I see someone leaning on a pole, I grab the pole thus making it seem like I'm jamming my hand in the middle of their back! Sorry, pole riders, but you asked for it!
I have no clue how I ended up on this page but now I know why I don't ride public transit! And I thought it was just because there are no stops convenient to my abode. Between all the horror stories here and all of you obviously intolerant people...I think I shall never step foot on public transit..
I personally hate sitting in a seat next to a window where the window has a big spot of greasy hair product all over it from the passengers who cannot seem to hold their head up during the ride and feel the need to rest it against the window. It's disgusting.
I hate when people start making out in a corner on the train when the train is packed to the gills. Maybe they can't afford a room.
only 1 other person mentioned roller luggage. That is my #1 pet peeve. Its a TINY suitcase, lift the damn thing when getting on and off the train, THEN roll it around to your hearts content. Roller luggage takes up the space of 5 people and can create a bottleneck.
@bboyneko: I’m sort of with you on this. Actual travel suitcases/luggage I can deal with, however, I’m right there with you on stupid “wheelie backpacks and wheelie briefcases/satchels”. I hate it when the people who are dragging those stupid things around with them and act like they haven’t got a clue that they have it with them. A friend of mine had foot surgery so she was a little bit slower when it came to moving around. Needless to say, some clueless individual with a “wheelie bag", ran right over her operated on foot in order to not miss the train. If commuters, are going to drag those stupid, small bags around and not be aware of their surroundings, be aware that you might “hit a bump” (in other words, your bag might have a nice footprint on it if you’re too inconsiderate of others) and your bag goes flying!
Lazy people on the escalators. You don't want to walk up or down the escalator, that's fine, as long as you stay to the right. However, when it gets down to the top/bottom, people will literally wait until their toes are touching the floor to start moving, like it's too much effort to walk those last couple of stairs. A minor annoyance, yes; maybe even petty. But still annoying nonetheless.
No tourist should be allowed out of their hotel rooms till after rush hour. I mean seriously people, where are you going at 7:15 in the morning? Wherever it is, it'll be there at 10:00!
And those people who stand on the left of the escalator, I'm pretty sure that's not just a D.C. thing.
Fare-skippers. I get on the Train at Takoma and people just take the elevator up and walk through the emergency gates to avoid paying the fare. Happens all the time.
The fashionistas who wear 4-5 inch heels to work and then glare at anyone with a seat on the evening commute. I'm fairly certain "whore shoes" isn't a disability, at least not a physical one.
Ear picking...inspecting...eating. I didn't even really know this was possible.
How about the people who insist on running (at least that's what I think happened) to get on to the trains and then almost knocking over everyone in sight! Was on the Red Line this morning and busy reading the paper (so I just about missed it) when this woman comes charging up the car and goes CRASHING into the guy who is SITTING in the seat in front of me (was the only reason I looked up and belately saw what had happened). She didn't even bother to apologize or anything! Look, we understand that it's important to get on the train, but if you're going to run for the train and then practically knock everybody over including those who are SEATED, don't bother getting on the train! There WILL be another train coming. If you're that determined to get on the train, please get up earlier and get to the station earlier otherwise you're going to hurt someone!
Er. . . I meant "belatedly" in my Mar. 30th post. :)
How about the woman who had gotten on the Wheaton escalator last night around 6:00pm or so with her stroller? I might have heard you mumble something about the elevator being out of service (which I won’t know because I didn’t ride it any time yesterday) which is a good reason for you being on the escalator. However, MAJOR FAIL for the stroller being EMPTY and OPEN and on the LEFT side thus barring commuters who wanted to walk up the escalator! Thank goodness, for your sake, the person behind me decided to walk up and gave you the space so you could move over to the right! Honestly, people! If the stroller is empty, PLEASE FOLD IT UP!! It only takes a few minutes to move out of the way and open or close it depending on your child’s/children’s needs.
There's so many Metro clientele that I loathe.
First, there are the tourists. When are they going to learn that you NEVER ride public transit of any kind during rush hour, period. And you know they're just going to the Smithsonian or some other monument that's going to be there after rush hour. Yes, I know you're in a hurry to see the new exhibit of sad clowns painted on velvet, but trust me, they'll be there at 10:00 a.m. as well. Also, if you're going to not know where you're going and ask for help, don't be rude back to us. If you're in the way and blocking the left side of the escalator, don't get in a tizzy because I said "excuse me."
Second, the loud people. I don't care if you're with friend. Yes, you're too cool for school, now shut up.
Third, the jackass listening to music too loudly. Your extraordinarily individualistic iPod produce a lot of noise pollution. Turn it the hell down. And moreover, I've seen people that turn the volume all the way up only to pull out their earbuds and wrap them around their neck. Like somehow this is a form of charity, a blessing that WE are graced with THEIR (shitty) preference of music. If I have to hear it again, I'm breaking your mp3 player. Same goes for the people having unnecessary phone conversations when the rest of the train is quiet. I WILL break your iPhone, loser.
Fourth, people who don't get the seat equation. It's simple, folks: one fat person + one skinny person = satisfied seat; no one touching, no one uncomfortable, and the best use of space. Two fat people = sardine-effect. Two skinny people, while acceptable, = waste of space. And if you're going to share a seat with anyone, you also need to take into mind that most people don't like to be touched, me included. If I'm squirming into the corner, that doesn't mean you can move over another inch.
Fifth, above the perfumed woman/cologned man is the person who INSISTS on putting on some smelly lotion/hand sanitizer/whatever that you can smell across the train. We're in close quarters, but you'll be outdoors soon. Apply it there. Next person to do this is getting cigarette smoke in the face.
This list could literally be pages long. This is the tip of the iceberg.
@ Anon April 8, 6:29pm
You must be kidding me.... "Two skinny people, while acceptable, = waste of space."
So if I am relatively slim, I'm supposed to go sit next to a fat person? If I sit down next to another person who actually cares about their health and is in good shape, I am doing you a disservice? LOL. Good luck with that.
Grossout: A few days after the fatal Red Line crash, I sat down on an inside seat on a crowded train. Looked to my left at the window ledge and there was a big bloody smear there. Probably someone's oozing mosquito bite, but who knows? (I emailed Metro as soon as I got to work, but no response. I then emailed Jim Graham's office and IMMEDIATELY got a response from them and a call from Metro a few minutes later. I noted the car number and door number so they could find it again.) GAGGGGGGGG.
@April 8, 2010 6:29 PM:
Define “skinny” and define “fat”.
Are you serious about finding the “right” person with whom I should share my seat? Good luck with that because that certainly won’t be me!
Clearly you have already forgotten that (1) daily commuters are going to run people over if everyone took their time trying to “scope out” the right size person to sit next to. I’m a daily commuter myself so I know better than to stand and look around for a seat when I first step into the train thus causing one of those unnecessarily bottlenecks. (2) As I had asked you to define in the above stand-alone statement, sitting next to a “skinny” or “fat” person is like saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Do I consider myself “skinny”? Yes… until I sit next to a “Twiggy” teenager; then I feel fat and disgusting. Do I consider myself “fat”? Yes… until I sit next to someone who the CDC considers overweight/obese; then I feel skinny.
Oh, and about the hand sanitizer comment. I have allergies, but most people would not know it. Many people think I cough and sneeze because I have a cold. I use hand-sanitizing liquid so I won’t scare everyone on the train because they think I have a cold or the flu!
And you don’t have to blow smoke in my face. It’s bad enough you pollute my lungs with your nasty cancer sticks. Just because you like them and want to die of cancer doesn’t mean the rest of us do. You should keep that nasty cigarette smoke to yourself. The rest of us non-smokers would appreciate it!!
This is "Anon, April 8, 6:29 p.m." here.
You're all over-analyzing a simple statement. I'm not asking for a denotation of "fat" or "skinny," but rather that you take note of whether a person is across the revered seat line. It's not that hard to take a step on the train, give it a glance and see if there's a seat you can fit into. It's just not that hard, period. If that's too much work, maybe you shouldn't ride public transit. Sorry to be curt, but this isn't just about YOU.
And shame on you, Anon, April 9, 9:10 a.m. Thinking that someone who is overweight is automatically unhealthy is a misnomer to say the least. Making a statement about someone's health based upon their weight is completely inaccurate. Take a scroll through this link: http://www.obesitymyths.com/myth4.1.htm
And to Anon, April 12, 11:55 a.m.:
I understand your concern for those around you and I'm sure I'm not alone in my respect for those looking out for other rides, but I have a few thoughts. First, if you cough and sneeze, do it towards the inside of your elbow. Not only does that contain germs, but it rids the need for a stinky sanitizer. Second, carry tissues for coughs and sneezes (awkward, I know, I've done it this week, but it's by far the most effective). Again, this removes sanitizer from the equation. Third, if you insist on using some sort of anti-bacterial gel or lotion or whatever, please purchase something that isn't scented. If it's merely the alcohol that gives it a smell, that will evaporate in less than a minute. IMHO, that's much more tolerable than some Bath and Body Works, artificially-fruit-scented trash that leaves a cloud around you that knocks down the people standing in a three-foot radius of you. But I understand your needs; I have allergies as well, but also have a bad habit of rubbing my eyes after holding escalator rails and/or poles in trains. At the same time though, I tend to only use the unscented hand sanitizer I carry when I'm on the platform. At least there is room to spread out if you're offended by the smell.
Hello "Anon, April 8, 6:29 p.m."! This is Anon, April 12, 2010 11:55 a.m. Thanks for the suggestions. I do try to cough and sneeze into my elbow. I think the hard part with my coughing is that sometimes it’s so unexpected, especially when it’s a tickle in my throat. Oh boy, are they annoying! And yes, I prefer to use the alcohol based sanitizers. There are too many scents out there and either they’re too strong, too overused, etc. or many people are incredibly sensitive to lots of scented lotions, perfumes, etc.
By the way, since you were kind to me when addressing my concerns, I hope you won’t read this the wrong way because it’s so much harder talking in 2-D than it is in 3-D. Please do not think I’m patronizing/lecturing/scolding you because that is absolute not what I want to do at all! I just want to say that I hope you’ll think about quitting smoking, that is, if you do. Having allergies and smoking too isn’t a good combination. But then again, all of us have our weaknesses and they’re not by any means easy to give up!
Hey "Anon, April 8, 6:29 p.m.",
Shame on you for eschewing personal responsibility when it comes to one's health.
How about the annoying woman on the Red Line on my way into work this morning?! Not only did she sit with her back to the wall/window of the metro car and stretched her legs out on the ENTIRE seat, but she was also talking to her friend (who was almost as guilty) who sat BEHIND her!! Felt bad for the guy who sat in the seat after forcing her to put her dirty feet where they belong….on the floor! Hey, it might be casual Friday in his office (or he might have had his tie in his briefcase or pocket or somewhere else), but a suit is still a suit! We’d appreciate it if you and your friend got on the same stop together that you two would sit together; especially if there are enough side-by-side empty seats! Yes, we know that it’s harder to do when there are less empty seats thus having the need to sit behind one another and talk. However, when the train isn’t really full and there are side-by-side empty seats please sit together.
Last week in the morning, a professional-looking woman got on a crowded Red Line at Cleveland Park. She immediately leaned up against the pole I was holding onto. Besides the fact that she was leaning on a pole at rush hour, she was quite obviously clinching her buttcheeks around it, and every few minutes she whacked my hand with her ponytail.
To add insult to injury, when she got off at Farragut North, her partner/boyfriend/husband/whatever LICKED HER FACE! I've never seen so much of a stranger's tongue. It was disgusting.
The Metro Express lady at Rosslyn who keeps yelling "MOOORRRNNNNING" in an annoying sing-song manner. I swear to God I will yell an obscenity at you in that manner one day.
When people take up the car with their huge roll-on luggage. Dude, if you want to bring a bunch of luggage, take a cab. But don't make me late for work because I have to wait for you to get on the car and then get off the car and then stand behind you while you block the entire escalator. That is so obnoxious. That is what the elevator is for. Its for people with roll-on luggage, the handicap, women with huge baby strollers and people who walk too slow.
The mostly fat, mostly female, mostly African American regulars who hog the Federal Triangle street elevator. Not only do they refuse to defer to the handicapped, elderly, frail, crutched, casted, otherwise infirmed, pregnant women, people with strollers and other children to small to walk, but they crowd in front of the entrance like a pack of rhinos, and make comments and act glad when they "beat" them onto the elevator made for the use of the infirmed. Bullies and enablers of all shapes and sizes suck.
1) those PEOPLE, in the isle of a crowded car who refuse to scoot in when people are crushed by the doors and other people can't get in. I see you! If you didn't have to read your newspaper two feet from your face there would be room for someone else.
2) happiness expressed out loud at the end of the day. The happier you are the more I hate you. Actually any conversations out loud are not acceptable. A metro car is not a place to discuss cancer, your antisocial children making friends, or your daughter in law school. If you happen to be saying anything to impress the hearts and minds of strangers around you, consider a career in motivational speaking in another city...
I especially liked the young gentleman who pretended to be a member of the marines. Having been "mugged" that morning he needed just $87.75 more to get his flight so he could report for duty in North Carolina on time. He was
- about 120lbs
- had a three minute speech memorized perfectly and was launching it rapid fire
- asked me twice
but what really wasn't nice was the 50% or so of patriotic people and honorable retired servicemen that he scammed...
You know them...that trio of self-involved abnoxiously loud 20-somethings with the cell-phone music blaring on a sing-along that nobody else wants to hear. They're seen most often on Friday & Saturday nights when nary a police officer is around to write them a deserved citation. Yeah... that's them, the ones who won't even respond to polite requests to turn it off, and stare back as if you are an alien.
Here’s another culprit. Who is it?
It's the twenty-something young woman on the metro a few mornings ago with that dime-a-dozen ‘constipated scowl’ on her greasy moon face (do they actually think this is an attractive look?) and the overstuffed backpack that jutted out a good 2ft into other fellow riders’ backs and sides; but of course she is oblivious to the world around her.
After all in her mind, she’s a young white privileged woman in Washington DC. And when you fit into this category, you don’t have to show any common courtesy and consideration towards others….all you have to worry about in your life is how to balance a world that is falling over itself trying to acknowledge you and love you while trying to protect you and save you.
It’s almost summer time. I bet that you can’t wait to show off your oversized smelly feet in your flip flops.
You 20-something princess-underpants girls are a laugh riot!
Please take a shower, and God Bless America
As an overweight, middle-aged woman, I am dismayed at the fact that I sometimes find myself having to stand on a train because people won’t give up their seats. It’s harder for me to stand than for you so the right thing to do is give me your seat. There are those seats on the trains that are reserved for elderly and disabled people. I’m not disabled the same way a person in a wheelchair or with an injury is, but my extra weight makes physical effort more difficult for me than people who aren’t as overweight. I even recently found a doctor who I think is going to give me a handicap parking pass. I tried three other doctors before who wouldn’t give me one and tried to say I’m not handicapped just because I’m overweight. But this was wrong. I know other overweight people who have gotten handicap passes and finally found a doctor someone else used to get their pass. So I’m expecting to get mine, too. So when I get on the metro, I should be able to use those special seats. But if they’re already taken by other people who are old or disabled, the rest of the people on the trains should stand up and give me their seats. I don’t have the willpower to exercise or cut back much on the food and sweets I eat, so I need to have a seat on the metro.
I’m also upset at the fact that I’m a middle-aged woman and a lot of people still won’t give up their seats for me. As a middle-aged woman, I’ve earned the right to a seat wherever I go, even if I wasn’t overweight. A lot of us middle-aged woman don’t like to exercise or exert ourselves at all, so standing is really annoying. I’m one of those people who I’ve read other comments about who tries to get up in front of other people to get on the train first and I sometimes crowd the doors when I’m trying to get on. But as a middle-aged woman, especially with the fact I’m also overweight, I really need to get on quickly to try to get one of those seats for my own wellbeing. I often bring a big roller bag with me which is heavy and bulky. I’m also disappointed that I almost never get any offers from other people to pull my bag for me at the metro stations. Also, I don’t like to try to hustle up to get on the train from a distance, so I think people who get to a train first should hold the doors open and stop the train from leaving so that I can take my time and don’t have to hustle to get on.
The other day, I barely made it onto a train and I stopped the doors from closing with my purse so that I could get on. A couple of other people who had gotten on first had already sat down, but then they wouldn’t get up and offer me their seats. If you happen to get a free seat, the right thing to do is to hold onto it so that you can give it to someone like me who might get on later.
There was a time when a middle-aged woman could expect many things to simply be given to her without having to exert herself at all. Now it almost seems like we’re expected to exercise self-discipline with the sweets and food we eat or actually walk or do some form of moderate exercise. Where has our society gone wrong? And as far as obesity, haven’t we reached the point where we all know that being overweight entitles you to many things like free seats on places like the metro? Common people, get with it!
@ Anonymous 4:33pm:
nice TROLL, TROLL!
I have an observation and pet peeve in my experience with riding the metro. Why is it that so many people exhibit the unexplained compulsion to stand up, walk toward, and crowd around the doors well before the train has even stopped? Can someone on this board please explain this? I simply don’t understand. The reason can’t be because these people are afraid they might not have enough time to make it out the door. This behavior is demonstrated even on trains which are not crowded and in which there is nothing to prevent someone from being able to easily and quickly get off. So I just don’t understand the tradition on the DC metro of the need to stand up and head toward the doors prematurely. When you get down to it, the fact is that it would make about as much sense to stand up and head towards the door on a plane while it is still in the air as it does for these pathetic morons who feel the compulsion to stand up early on the metro.
The best conclusion I can come to is that unfortunately, people are just stupid. And unfortunately, it appears to be the case that a very large percentage of people are stupid as evidenced by the number of people who do this. First of all, standing up and walking on a moving train is unsafe. Secondly, it’s unnecessary; I wait for the train to stop anytime I’m sitting before getting up and not once have I ever come even close to not having more than enough time to get off the train. (Think about this, people can't get on the train until you have gotten off. So if people are waiting to get on a train, the doors aren't closing until at least after you've managed to get off.) Third, when you do this, you are a nuisance to everyone around you who has to move while the train is in motion so you can get to the door. (Someone else already touched on the fact that it’s incredibly annoying for a person on an inside seat to expect a person on the outside to have to stand up and make room for him/her to get out before the train has even stopped.) Fourth, it’s stupid. When these people get up ahead of time to head to the doors, all that ends up happening is they end up standing around the door for another minute or so before the train stops moving. They accomplish absolutely nothing by getting up early.
I also believe that this behavior demonstrates stupidity as I believe that a lot of the people who do this subconsciously believe that they can “will” the train to stop sooner. I think that subconsciously, they think that by standing up early and heading toward the door, by some miracle, they can force the train to arrive at its destination and stop sooner that it otherwise would. It’s sort of akin to the same idiots who can see the signs at the metro stations which tell them exactly when the next train will arrive, yet they continue to stare down the track in the bumbling, idiotic hope that by staring, they can “will” the next train to arrive quicker. It’s also akin to an idiot at a red light who continually tries to edge his car farther and farther into the intersection with the apparent belief that he will “force” the light to change quicker. These people are a bunch of bumbling idiots.
I've got a recommendation for the metro. I think they should create new doors for all of the metro trains that are large, heavy, and swing out quickly towards the platforms when opening. I think this would be a great way to deal with the problem with all of the asses on the platforms who insist on crowding around the doors and blocking those who are trying to get off the train. With big, heavy doors that would swing out quickly, we could combat this problem and enjoy the sight of these useless douchebags getting bashed by the train doors.
Gi-normous strollers! With kids who look about 8 years old sitting in them drinking milk from a sippy cup LOL!(I have an 8 yr old so I know what size I'm talking about). Or they must be the biggest toddlers on the planet. Plus double strollers or the 3 wheelers--both are HORRIBLE to take on metro at anytime. Bring back umbrella strollers please!
I'm late but I have one. The metro rider who decides to press their arse against the glass panel or door thinking it will conceal their shatty fart...
Pregnant ladies - my apologies if I missed your condition. 2/3rds of Americans are obese. It is not always easy to tell who is preggers from who is not. I learned this the hard way. Turns out a chunky lady wasn't pregnant so now I don't ask anymore. If you want my seat, why don't you ask me for it and quit being a victim.
Women with baby "jogger" strollers during rush hours. COME ON! Don't you have a Suburban or Excursion at home for that crap?
Guy on metro: "Man, you trippin'." Me: "Yeah, I'm trippin'. And you're hogging two seats on a crowded train."
Here’s another one for you:
Younger women (or more specifically the immature 20 somethings) who carry around their huge venti mochaccinos as if it’s an actual accessory to their outfit.
Of course, here she comes, either texting on her phone or rambling on in the standard monotone slurred drone (do all these nasty soiled, mind you not spoiled, princesses talk like this?)….dragging her big ugly flip flop feet, mouth agape (this looks really attractive by the way)…clinging loosely to her big ol’ whip cream chino’; while taking a breather every now and then to take a big loud slurp! Yuckz!
Maybe if you held back on the big ol’ chinos, you wouldn’t have such a protruding gut…oh, but that’s probably from all the beer that you drink as well.
God Bless America…where not only frat boys and dudes have beer guts…the princesses compete well in that respect…big ol’ non-pregnant bellies…
A friend/colleague of mine from Europe was visiting and remarked…”There are a lot of pregnant women walking around in Washington”. I was like…”Uuum…9 out of 10 of those women are pregnant….”
Heeheehee!
Here’s another one for you:
Younger women (or more specifically the immature 20 somethings) who carry around their huge venti mochaccinos as if it’s an actual accessory to their outfit.
Of course, here she comes, either texting on her phone or rambling on in the standard monotone slurred drone (do all these nasty soiled, mind you not spoiled, princesses talk like this)….dragging her big ugly flip flop feet, mouth agape (this looks really attractive by the way)…clinging loosely to her big ol’ whip cream chino’; while taking a breather every now and then to take a big loud slurp! Yuckz!
Maybe if you held back on the big ol’ chinos, you wouldn’t have such a protruding gut…oh, but that’s probably from all the beer that you drink as well.
God Bless America…where not only frat boys and dudes have beer guts…the princesses compete well in that respect…big ol’ non-pregnant bellies…
A friend/colleague of mine from Europe was visiting and remarked…”There are a lot of pregnant women walking around in Washington”. I was like…”Uuum…9 out of 10 of those women are NOT pregnant….”
Heeheehee!
Dear June 3 @ 12:58pm - I get up before the train stops to stand by the doors. I do this because the exit at my stop is a set of stairs that is only wide enough to accompany two people. The folks coming down the stairs occupy the left side, so it is single file when trying to exit.
If I wait for the train to stop and am the fourth or fifth person to exit, I get cut off at the stairs by the jerkoffs who exit first a door further up the platform. I'd rather get up five to ten seconds early than deal with that every day. Heaven forbid that upsets your delicate sensibilities.
Everything I do on the Metro is in anticipation of someone else acting like an asshole. If I have the ability to exit the train first to prevent some douche from cutting me off at the stairs, I'm going to do it. If you don't like it, drive to work.
What about the 31-year-old man named Robert on the 86 bus who sexually harrasses women in the most blatant way possible? I sent a complaint to Metro with explicit details. I haven't, and will likely never, hear back from those corrupt-assed morons.
I have yet to see this one mentioned. How about the idiots who think they can sit their a$$ on the backs (what might be determined as the middle of the train where one seat facing forward and one seat facing backwards are connected) of the middle seats?!? Look, I don’t care how thin you think you are, unless you’re as thin as the two backs of the middle seats or thinner, you CANNOT sit your big fat a$$ there!! I do NOT appreciate you trying to sit on my shoulder and I have absolutely positively no desire to smell your a$$ or have my shoulder smell like your a$$!!
The people who have earphones yet still play their music so loud I can hear it from halfway down the train.
This one wins. A women gets on a crowded train at Grosvenor during rush hour. With a very large, uncovered carrot cake. I wouldn't take issue if she had the cake covered in something, but it was literally a huge iced cake on a platter. The woman was leaning against the back of the train for a stop, and even though I was crammed in the corner back seat of the car, I offered her my seat. The man next to me said that he was getting up anyway, so she took his seat, and sits next to me with this giant uncovered cake teetering precariously towards me.
Somehow, she got off with the cake unscathed at Dupont Circle. But I had to ask...who does that? I'm almost shocked that it hadn't ended with splattered cake everywhere. Furthermore....would anyone really want to eat cake that had been carried through the grime and dirt of the metro? Call me a germaphobe but I immediately use hand sanitizer (non-scented, thank you!) as soon as I am at my office.
since all my other peeves have been covered repeatedly: folks who leave their newspapers on top of trash cans, rather than take them up one flight of stairs to the recycling bin they HAVE to pass on the way out of the station. not rocket science.
People in the city who board a crowded train to go only on or two stops. If you live in the city, walk or take the bus!
metro should paint a giant yellow line down the middle of the escalators with STAND written on the right half of every step and WALK on the other half.
they should also paint an arrow on the floor at the top of the escalator so that after tourists get off they walk at least a LITTLE ahead before staring around like lost cows.
They should also put Metro manners reminders, such as to stand to the right, move all the way into the car, etc, on the displays where they post the train times.
OMG - parents with their SUV strollers who think that the space by the doors was just made for them to park in, especially during rush hour.
This might be to disgusting to type, but here goes. One evening a very very drunk man. Did I mention he was drunk? Sitting across from me, licking snot off his hand. It was all I could do to not throw up.
Thenose pickers, who think by staring at their newspaper, no one can see them pick their nose. ewwwwww
I will not move in!
People who want a seat should take the seat they are offered. Why should I sit crammed up against the window, defenseless against your BO as you drape your arm over the seat?
Why should I, just give up my aisle seat so that you can spread your legs so wide as to rub up against me, trapped and sometimes pinned.
I will not move in, I will not move in!
Just because I don't take up that much space does not mean you should spawl all over me. I will not surrender to be immobilized so that you can wedge your backpack into my ribs.
Seriously, I will not move in.
So take the inside seat....OR STAND!
*disclaimer*
While sitting in the aisle seat, I will not sprawl, lean or place any of my personal belonging on your person. I also am happy to move whenever you feel you need to, to get off the train.
1) People who bite their nails. UGH! I cant even look at them.
2) People who sneeze or cough in their hand then grab onto a handle/pole. =O
1.) People holding the door for any amount of other people to come in. If you are on a schedule, **pay attention** to your time. Please do not hold me and everyone else up from our un/sheduled appointments, unlike you... I made it in time to board.
2.) The loudest sigher. If you dislike being around all of the other standers, wouldn't you do yourself a favour and everyone around you to wait until a not so full train comes along for you to board and SIT down.
3.) The person who talks loudly with no cel phone and isn't crazy--purposely is calling out foul names to the people around them for a provoked situation. Because she/he may be emotionally distressed and looking for the first person to whale on that makes eye contact with them or says something to them.
4.) Seat hoggers of all kinds, of course.
5.) The ole' talking to loudly on your cel/bluetooth. Guy... put that away.
6.) If I or anyone else is packed like a sardine against you, please do not feel me up. (female or male) I am close enough to you, I promise you do not need to further it. I don't care how "hot" you think you are.
7.) Too much scent of any kind.
8.) Loud talkers in general, the people with another person or a group.
Some of the annoyances I definitely agree with like standing to the left on escalators, walking without a purpose, shoving in an already crowded car, etc.
But some of you are b*tching about retarded things like purses and backpacks touching you, crowded seats, loud headphones. Get the hell outta here! It's PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. You people KILL me. Some of this comes with the territory. If you don't like it, drive your Effin CAR. People in NYC would scoff at some of you. SUCK IT UP!
First and foremost: the lazy metro staff. They act like the metro is their hangout spot, and all the riders are rude unwanted guests. I hate that. And this while the system sucks, every escalator seems to be broken, and trains break down daily.
Couldn't agree more about the middle aged women. Why do you feel like you are entitled to some special system, and all the rest of us are out to get you?
I saw a similar scenario last year. Appalling - People who think their personal space is the only space that matters.
I saw a man go from 0 to 60 on the anger scale because a woman was moving too slowly getting off the metro. He proceeded to berate and belittle her as he walked beside her -- The other person, walking timidly with her head down, obviously scared, didn't say a word. It appeared she just wanted to get away from the guy who clearly was out of control and projecting his pent-up anger on this unsuspecting lady.
People that brush their lint, crumbs, dandruff and dirt towards me and have no idea this is rude?
Having read alllllll of the comments, is no one else weirded out by the anonymous poster who has it out for the "dime-a-dozen princess sparklepants" girls? Who is this creepmo?
Okay, I agree with all the other pet peeves (left side standers!! I shake my fist at you!), but I have my own. If I get on a crowded train and I'm followed by someone far more attractive than me (I guess I'd give myself a 6, but I dunno), nine times out of 10, a guy will look at both of us and offer the other woman his seat. That really makes me feel AWESOME about myself, thanks. I'd rather you just keep your seat.
What can be annoying are the people who crowd onto an overloaded train, instead of waiting for the next one, knowing full well that those already on board are already packed in pretty tight…; and who then proceed to open up and fan out their full size Washington Post as if they’re at home sitting in their favorite leather recliner, dressed in their smoking jacket and slippers, Jack Russell Terrier at their feet, reading the Sunday paper!
People are in their own little worlds sometimes….
Oh and another one would be the unsavory commuter on the afternoon commute some while back who clipped their fingernails and brushed the clippings onto the floor…and once having finished this proceeded to gnaw loose the dangling loose ends of fingernail and dead skin and spit the said residue upon said floor.
My stomach turned…and then my stomach turned a second time.
I hate it when there is a line to get on an escalator at a crowded station like Metro Center and people just walk up the side of it and step in. These people should be elbowed out of the line and told to wait like the rest of us.
People who have bad body odor and bad breath
2 words. Obese people.
I am sorry this seat is taken up by my left thigh.
I am sorry but I cannot walk down the escalator and need the entire width to get down.
I am sorry my back fat is in the way of your book.
I agree with many of you, but my biggest pet peeve are the seat-hoggers. I used to commute every day on the Red Line and would take a seat, putting my bag on my lap. One day an elderly man in a Veterans cap came on in Rockville and was forced to stand. I offered him my seat, but he turned me down. He did look pointedly at the man taking up TWO seats in Living Room Pose though.
I also dislike dealing with the meanderthals - LOVE that phrase. If I get off a Metro stop and am clueless, I don't just STOP in the middle. I'll go off to the side so the people who have a CLUE can get moving. This drives me insane!
And yes, to whomever mentioned the tourists announcing the next five stops to their kids, kudos to you. There is a freakin' map, and the driver announces the stop, so I don't need to hear a countdown or something inane like that on your "family" vacay!
Lastly, great blog. I'm checking back daily - and I don't even ride the Metro anymore! :)
@ 7/30, 3:16-YES, I've followed this blog for awhile now and have to assume the creepy "20-something princesses" person is some type of psychopath! I'm kind of surprised his/her posts keep getting approved because they're quite offensive, not to mention scary.
Last week, I was changing from Red to Green at Fort Totten, and I saw some asswipe with a bike heading toward the escalators. I muttered something like, "Oh, no, you aren't." Oh, yes, he did, and a double fail. Not only did he take his bike on the escalator when the elevator was operational, he stood on the LEFT. People had to duck under the wheels of his bike (which he held over his head) to go down because SOME of us are trying to catch another train.
To: Anon@7/30-316pm & Anon@9/4-1105am. I must say that I don't totally agree with you. While the words of the person to whom you are referring may be offensive to some/many; what you are missing is his/her underlying point; which is that there exists a pretty standard and oddly uniform level of rudeness and inconsiderate behavior from many individuals who fit within one set demographic. In this case I believe he/she is referring to the younger female riders who fit within the age group of about 20-30, give or take. I don’t totally disagree with him/her either on that underlying point; nor do I find his/her words all that offensive; the manner by which his/her grievance is voiced could be more polite, but I’m thinking it is written more tongue in cheek…if anything.
Most of the typical pet peeves have been already covered, but someone seriously one time was clipping the tops of her fingernails. Not the tips, where most people would clip. That would be seriously gross. But no, her nails were ripped up and destroyed, possibly from having some kind of acrylic nails pulled off of them, so she decided the best thing to do would be to take nail clippers to them while sitting next to me on a forty minute train ride. I should have barfed directly on her so she could experience some of that gross out factor.
I rarely ever sit on the metro. There are people who need to sit down more than me, so I simply choose not to. I don’t hog the poles either – albeit I must admit I’m not a great fan of those ‘new cars’ that don’t have the glass partitions or mid train vertical bars to hold onto. It’s kind of awkward to stand in these ‘new cars’; especially when the train jerks, or screeches to a halt in a short period of time. One time an older woman lost her grip when the train screeched to a halt. While visibly shaken, she wasn’t hurt though. I helped her stand up and she called me a ‘nice young man’.
One thing that is kind of annoying, however, is that when I’m standing but about to get off, and waiting for the train to stop and door to open..there is always some joker, riding my back pushing to get off.
I’m thinking…the train hasn’t even stopped yet. Slow down there, please. You’ll get off the train and to wherever you’re going with minimal delay. Your destination is no more important than mine, or anyone else’s on the train. Common Courtesy goes a long way, but is in short supply in our Nation’s Capital.
Things which make my commute miserable:
1) Enormous people. They ALWAYS seem to be drawn to where I sit since I am on the thin side. They POUR and CRAM themselves into the seat (with a nice butt wiggle to make sure they are nice and snug), pushing me against the wall of the train. I should not have to accommodate your "propensity for immensity"! Use the freaking handicap seat as that is what your chunky butt is to those around you. Maybe a cattle car would suit you better?
2) Farters. Do you really think that slipping a little gas in what is basically a sealed cylinder goes unnoticed? And we can't tell from whence it originated? Step off to evacuate!
3) Rollie carts. Why do people use them to carry a purse and nothing more? And WHYYY do they drag them six feet behind with their arms fully extended as if towing a slab of concrete?
I totally understand the personal space issues and, for the person who said they didn't, they're lying or... It's a matter of simple consideration. I can sit next to a person and not touch them. I speak as a woman, but women are guilty of this more than men, because as soon as they sit down, they start digging through their purse and all I can think of is 1. why couldn't you do that before you got on the bus and 2. why do you have to dig into my side to look for something that you never seem to find anyway.
Also, I have every right to have my arms at my side in the seat the same as you do. so if you get in the seat next to me, and room is limited, guess what...you should keep yours in your lap. sorry. if you want your arms by your side then slide over a few inches so we both have space to position ourselves this way. People (women mostly, I'm sorry to say) will sit so close and have no problem rubbing elbows and shoulders with strangers (me) rather than sitting an inch or two further away. It's like a cat that has to lean on something. I don't get it.
For you guys...you really do have to try and keep your legs at a respectable distance apart because you do have to share the space/seat with others.
Finally, cell phone use. it's gotten better on the buses, but...really? you are on your way home, can't you wait and make your personal calls when you get there?
Just a thought.
Regarding this earlier post:
"This might be a weird pet peeve, but I really hate it when you're on an empty train with plenty of totally empty rows, and someone purposly choses to sit next to you anyway. I hate it. I will get up and move. Seriously."
I admit that I am guilty of this, but for good reason. In the morning, I board the blue line at Springfield and always sit on the closest available seat to the left side door, because by the time the train arrives at my destination (Pentagon), it is completely full and even one seat away from the door I have to battle the crowd just to make it off the train before the doors close. If it bothers you that I choose to sit in the available seat right next to you rather than the completely open one two rows back, go ahead and move; I really don't mind at all!
I am tired of confrontational teens who believe that their bad manners make them seem more 'grown up.' Seriously kids: your friends may be impressed with your surliness but everyone else just sees a badly behaved child. And you can drop the attitude when someone puts you in your place: a simple 'excuse me' would be much more impressive.
The woman taking up two seats. Big hair. Lots of make-up. Tons of perfume mixed with the stench cigarettes. Wow, it's an eighties flashback that nearly caused me to lose my breakfast on the blue line.
A guy was smoking on the metro a few weeks ago. I'm not sure what part of him thought that'd be a good idea. A bunch of passengers started yelling at him, then one called the train operator on the intercom. Problem solved.
Fit, twenty-something men who take the handicapped seats at the front of the bus when there are plenty of other seats left.
Worse than that, fit twenty-something men who sit in the handicapped seats while a senior or short woman standing in the aisle in front of them teeters desperately trying to reach the overhead pole. There is one such guy who gets on the 16Y every day and ALWAYS takes the first handicapped seat, pretending that he can't read the sign directly behind his head ("seating for the elderly and disabled"). What the &*(# is wrong with him?? I swear I'm going to ask him if he's pregnant. Actually, from the size of his gut, he could be about six months pregnant.
Those who will take your seat (when you offer it) and get off at the next stop.
People who bring 2, 3 or 4 bags on the train and think they should ride in a seat and you should stand.
The passive aggressive isle seater/window seat blockers.
DC just sucks!!
People who don't cover their mouth/nose when they sneeze on a crowded train.
Windy was so large that she got stuck in the door and the fire department had to remove her! Delayed the whole trainload of people, and all the trains that followed! It was during a convention of tax professionals, and analysts.
Once I was on the Blue Line to Franconia-Springfield and I was sitting in a seat by the window when a creepy guy sat next to me, about 30 seconds into the ride he starts to act like he is sleep and starts breathing really hard and moving his body up and down...luckily I was getting off at the next stop...but that wasn't the worst part, a couple of months past and I was on a completely empty car, it was just me and one other person at the other end of the car and wouldn't you know it the same creepy guy gets on the train and sits next to me. This time I was a little freaked out because there was no one else even remotely close to me and there was a car full of empty seats but he chooses to sit next to me, when he sat down he did the exact same breathing thing so I decided to get off at the next stop which was one stop before my actual stop and just catch the next train. When I said excuse me to the guy so I could get out he got up with no problem and said sure, as I stood up to slide out of the seat he quickly moved up right behind me so that my ass would brush up against his junk. I turned around and said WTF is wrong with you MF don't you ever touch me again you f*%king pervert, he was just like oh I'm so sorry it was an accident, and I said f*%k you you nasty MF. That incident had me literally shaking when I got off the train.
Be nice to little kids, elderly, and injured. I've seen many well behaved children but some misbehaved adults "puffing-up" or spreading out the space around them, pushing, etc. I've found it's mostly the young, healthy people that just can't give up their seat. Several times young males have "given up" a seat seconds before they are to get off the train. That type of behavior is more of an insult because now I know you saw me. Be kind. We moved back to the US from Asia where people were by-and-large extreemly polite on the trains and realized they could give up a little ego to give others space.
You know what I really can't stand? Skinny white racists who don't even need to ride the bus. There's this guy who rides the bus I take to get home who fits the above description. Hipster, obviously financially well-off, with this stinking sense of arrogance about him. I put my bike on the front rack and boarded, and lo-and-behold, guess who was there. The little humanoid mantid had taken the last seat, and by "taken," I mean he's set up camp there. Backpack on one side of him, and he's stretched himself across the seat so no one else can sit next to him, and trust me, I wasn't the only poor sap who needed to stand because of this jerkoff.
And so I grab the pole for dear life because the bus driver is a notorious psychopath behind the wheel, and god forbid I end up falling on/squashing the hipster, right? And so I'm hanging on for dear life and this guy's just GLARING at us. I mean, his eyes are fixed on all of us, and not just me, the big fatty who has the audacity to ride the same bus as him, but the black family with their four year old daughter behind me and an old hispanic woman who has to stand because of this asshole. And I know the reason- the guy's a bigot. He's been a bigot before. He hates us, and we're not even doing anything.
After what seems like an eternity, a passenger leaves and their seat clears up, and I help the old woman to it because she could probably use it more than I could, and on my way back, the fucking hipster trips me. He sticks out his scrawny bug leg, I trip over it, hit the steps, and he just giggles about it. The man behind me helps me to my feet. Boy, I could take this guy in my arms and break him in half, but I don't. I wait.
At last, we get to his stop. This guy's boxed in between two rows of seats. I let go of the bar and block his exit, a grin wrapped around my big, fat, greasy face. He stands up, gets all huffy about it, calls me a few names, everyone else is grinning too. I ask, "What's the matter, dude? Having some trouble?" He demanded that I get "out of his fucking way," and pushed me aside. I thought about tripping him, but he scampered off before I could. He departed from the bus, but not before kicking my bike. I rolled my eyes, and the family behind me sits.
And of course, he still takes that bus home, so every wednesday, we're treated to His Majesty's sparkling personality disorder. I can't tell you how much I loathe this guy. It's bad enough that he's physically repulsive, but he's got the attitude to boot. Anyone else with me? ;)
Big, sweaty guy with potent body odor in overalls (nothing else) with manboobs leaking out the sides, pressing me into the glass separator at the back while starting his drinking (smelled like vodka) at 9am on a Tuesday.
Crazy, violent hostile piece of trash riding the red line around 8pm into rockville. Sits down near me and I can just smell the 40's he's been drinking. First thing he does is scream "what the F*** you looking at?!" at someone at least 5 rows away. Swears at the train operator everytime he makes an announcement. Throws an empty pack of cigs on the floor and keeps up a muttered string of profanities until he leaves. Guys like this make me want to get my concealed carry permit...
What bothers me the most is the people who EXPECT me to give up my (free) seat to women and glare when I don't. You can't tell by the look of me, but I'm a disabled veteran. I still won't take a "reserved" seat however, even though I have horrible arthritis that is slowly spreading in my spine. It is crushingly painful for me to stand for any period of time. People just ASSUME that I'm healthy and am a jerk by not being "chivalrous". Judging people doesn't define them, it defines you. Think about the person you're judging, maybe they, like me, are in terrible physical pain and not just being an a*hole.
Here's one since the escalators seem to be broken most of the time. they are designed so that two people can be abreast. So if you're walking down the escalator slowly, because you're wearing high heels or whatever, keep to the right as you would if you were standing still. Let other people get around you. Why do you walk in the middle of the escalator?
I am absolutely disgusted and despise all the kids and teens in the DMV - they have absolutely no home training and I hate their ill-mannered parents even more! And for the poster who thinks it's "forgivable for teens to yell and scream on the metro b/c it's considered a right of passage"??? You seriously need your head checked and you really need to learn how civilized people behave when out in public!
More than anything, I hate the pigs who eat in the stations and on the trains and leave the mess behind for other people to deal with. Seriously? Do people just toss sunflower seed shells in the air by the handfuls when they've finished snacking?
I was once sitting next to a (smelly) girl who was eating a hot dog. I then noticed she wasn't wearing shoes when she plopped them on her lap and started rubbing scuffs out of them. I do not want to smell your shoes or feet, thank you.
Also I hate when people use hand sanitizer on the train. I'm all for killing germs and clean hands, but in a crowded train the smell is very unpleasant and lingers.
Getting robbed at Convention Center while getting no help from anyone including station manager and workers who were present. Of course no police anywhere, took over 10 minutes to show up to take a 'sucks to be you report'
Absolutely can't stand it when a stranger, even though it's obvious that I'm reading a book/newspaper, insists on trying to strike up a conversation anyway.
People who think they know how to ride the Metro.
THE PERVERTS! I am so sick of them I will seriously start to pepper spray them on sight. I am sick of seeing men play with themselves while looking at me or other women.
People who pick their ears right next to you, smell it, and eat it, over and over and over again. NASTY!!!
Or people who stand over you sitting down and file their nails over your head, with their nasty nail dust trickling down into your hair, and nobody says a f*&^ing word!
For those of you that complain about some people not taking a seat - it might be because the metro seats are not built for people over 5'9". I am 5'10" and if I sit in one of the middle seats, my knees are jammed up into the seat in front of me.
#1 complaint of mine - men that sit with their knees spread wide. I mean really? Is your bizness such that you HAVE to sit like that? It's so rude.
Women applying FULL MAKE UP on the train. Don't they have bathrooms at home? How would they like it if I sat next to them shaving and brushing my teeth?
Why can't people just sit down in the first empty seat they see? Everybody has to freakin' pic and judge and choose who they will sit with for all of a few minutes. It's like being in 3rd grade again and playing musical chairs without the music!
My vote goes to a total creeper. A guy was either jerking off or urinating while pressed up against the glass of the car next to mine. He was staring at a woman and her child in a stroller the entire time he was exposing himself. When I got off the car to report him, along with the woman and her child, he was still on the train when it pulled away from Archives Navy Memorial station. The conductor and the station manager where made aware, hopefully they pulled him off at the next stop.
My personal "favorite" - people whose super loud music is coming from their headphones. Do they think it's intimidating and I'm going to be afraid of them because it's gangsta rap or something? Not a chance. It's just stupid and it shows their insecurity and need for attention. It's annoying, inconsiderate, immature and I hope they lose their hearing.
Yes Anon, one of my "favorites" is the person with the super loud music where every note and word can be heard, despite ear phones or buds. Very entertaining.
Though one of the "Top 10" of mine is the ever-inaudible Metro train operator of whom our mute comrades pronounce the stations better. Please, Metro, include pronounciation classes as a requirement when hiring new employees. Or better yet, have someone with a clear voice record the station stops and and integrate them into the PA system...oh wait...I'm putting the cart before the horse. I assumed they had a functional PA system.
This morning - after a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend - train totally overcrowded, dude with horrible rotten carcass breath breathing on me... Smelled so bad, I wanted to barf! There's nothing like riding Metro to make your Monday morning blues a hundred times worse...sigh...
This morning I made one of the guys -- sprawled over the priority seats-- move his leg and sat down. The young man folded his newspaper and got up in a huff and stood by the door.
Old ladies rule.
The Asian woman in a red coat this morning at Farragut West who waited until the very last minute to get off the train and then shoved a bunch of us out of her way and screamed that she needed to get off. It wasn't even that crowded.
People who get off the train and stop in front of the doors and look around....get the hell out of the way
Girls who get on the train and there cat stink playing musical chairs on the train..... stop moving
Please forgive the thread necromancy, but as a fairly recent citizen of DC, I can't help but add my own two cents to this delightful thread. I read every comment, afraid that I might be guilty of some breach of etiquette, but happily I am guilty of none of these things.
Since very few people will actually get up for handicapped / elderly / pregnant people, I've figured out that, because I get on at a terminating station, I can "park" those choice sideways seats myself for someone else who really needs them. Invariably, at least once a week I get to make sure that those people have a comfortable ride. Not only do you get the satisfaction of doing a good deed, but it's also a great way for a non-DC-native like myself to meet friendly people. I've made at least three new friends in the last year by just showing some simple courtesy to strangers.
Great post, great website, and thank you to the polite Metro commuters who make DC a great place to live!
Looks like "princess" hater loves to hear his own voice - in many different formats I see but always the same sentiment. My you sure are a prolific poster aren't you? He is obviously thinking he is superior to anyone and everyone else on metro who isn't as thin and fashionable as he is. To hate women that much tells the world a lot. You need counseling and quick.
1. Men who think because the other person seated on the bench is a woman, then he is entitled to her leg space by spreading his legs wide open.
2. Newly embarked passengers who sit directly in front of you in a nearly empty car.
3. People who face right into you instead of the oblique empty space between other passengers.
4. Putting head oil on the windows by sleeping.
5. Watching someone put their head into someone else's head oil.
6. Loud men either on phones or with travel companions talking business as if the metro cars are their personal offices.
7. Idiots with loud mp3 players.
8. Men who stop the orderly loading of a car to allow a lady to take precedence, especially when she wasn't expecting it and messes up her coordinated participation in loading and takes a second to realize he's letting her go first. Hey, douchebag, there are ladies *behind* you, too, who you made stop in their tracks because now everyone has to wait. How about we all just get on quickly, instead?
9. People with rollerbags.
10. People with rollerbags who won't pick them up for the tricky spots (steps, tight spaces)
11. People with rollerbags who hold hem next to, and not in front of themselves on escalators.
12. People who hold conversations from a couple of seats away, allowing people to fill in, instead of moving closer to talk, and then talking over the poor saps who had to take a seat between.
13. Low class people who yell at their kids instead of quietly threatening them with a firm arm hold and a well whispered "just wait until we get home!"
My first time on the metro at Metro Center and went below and waited and a very pretty woman walked and waited against the railing same way as me looking as the other trians pass and people getting off waiting for ours.
So I look over and say "Hi."
She totally spazzes out and yells "HOLYSH*T" OMFG get the hell away from me F*CK!"
I shrugged and this nice old lady smiled at me and said "Hello."
At least some people are still human.
I absolutely love this thread. Here are some of the things I do on the metro...
-When appropriate, one shot of whiskey (rum will do in a pinch) prior to leaving my apartment and boarding the train. If I'm out somewhere and I can't wait until I get home, there are numerous strategically placed bars in and around DC. Any one of them will do in a pinch. I've found it makes the ride slightly more relaxing.
-Headphones prior to entering the station, just a smidge above zero volume. It's possible for me to listen to music and not be completely solipsistic. Plus, it helps me avoid small talk. Which leads me to my next point...
-I try not to speak as little as possible while riding metro but, when I am engaged in conversation, I'm calm and respectful. I do let people know when I see them committing a flagrant violation of "metr-etiquette" (left-side escalator occupiers or door crowders, for example) but I never blow up on them. Constructive criticism, I call it. I've observed that if you act civil toward people, there's a 50/50 chance that they'll follow suit. Some don't; after all, some people are just douches.
-Speaking of douches, I don't act like one when I'm in the presence of tourists. Sometimes they make it hard, but I've actually brightened the days of a few families roaming around looking hopelessly lost. I wasn't born/raised in DC, but I've been living here for about a decade now and I know the area pretty well, especially what does/doesn't fly on the metro. As previously mentioned, some people are stubborn and unflappable but others may genuinely not know that their behavior is frowned upon.
-I rarely sit. I usually gravitate toward the first car (the "suicide train," as my mother termed it when visiting after the '09 crash) and when there are a fair amount of open seats, I'll use them. If it's busy, though, I generally stand. I'm fairly young, able-bodied and I've been living here long enough to have my "metro legs," so to speak. I think I can handle 35 minutes of standing. I move as close as possible to the CENTER OF THE CAR because people are going to want to get off and on the train. You have to let them, even if you're standing in close proximity to the door. There is no rule that states you cannot get off the train, stand on the platform, then get back on when you aren't in anyone's way.
-In reference to my previous point, one caveat does exist that I feel requires a separate discussion. If you're one of those people who hops on a crowded train and proceeds to steal the spot occupied by a person considerate enough to temporarily step off the train to let others pass, please die. Better yet, take a cab. I avoid sardine trains at all costs, except when they fill up in between my point A and my point B. The only thing worse than seeing a train packed to the gills is seeing six people roll up to the doors and expect a space to magically appear for them. You are not going to get stranded on the platform like that creepy guy in "Ghost." It might take a while, but another train will come for you. (Except if it's the last train of the night, but I've never seen one of those be as crowded as a peak-hours train. Maybe it's like that on Nats/Caps nights. I don't know)
Now here are my two DON'Ts...
-Don't eat or drink on the train. Just don't do it. Carrying the stuff is acceptable, but REFRAIN from opening it on the trains. I've been a stickler for this ever since some girl spilled her mocha latte all over me when the train jerked to a stop at New York Ave station on a crowded morning. I don't care how hungry you are. I know where the intercom buttons are and, if I'm lucky, you'll turn out just like that stupid ten-year-old girl in Tenleytown who legit got arrested because she just couldn't wait to eat her french fries.
-DON'T grope anyone on the metro. I feel as though I don't need to really explain this one. People don't like being touched against their will. Some of us carry knives.
Many of these key points are repetitive, but I do hope someone takes something of value away from what I've written.
Post a Comment