Monday, September 21, 2009

Types of Rider: La-Z-Boy (or Girl)

From Amanda:
This is one of my favorite kinds of Metro riders. It's bad enough that she's doing the "sit-on-the-outside-seat-so-no-one-will-try-to-sit-next-to-me," but she's also got her filthy foot on a seat. Several people were standing, including myself, and I'm sure if I would have said, "Lady, this is not your living room. Get your foot off the seat and scoot your butt over so you don't take up three seats!" she would have been embarrassed into behaving like a civilized human being. It's the principle of the thing, though!

And along similar lines, from Jane:

Red Line towards Shady Grove during rush hour:

Crowded train but not quite full yet. Woman A is sitting in a seat by the window and her WET UMBRELLA is on the aisle seat next to her. Woman B gets on at Silver Spring and sees the wet seat next to Woman A, who had just taken her umbrella from the seat and was holding it in her lap.

Woman B: Did you put your umbrella on the seat?

Woman A: Yes...

Woman B, speaking in a tone that is usually reserved for naughty four-year-olds: Well, that wasn't very nice, was it?

Sheepish silence from Woman A. Woman B finds somewhere else to sit. Yay for Woman B!

People who think that their briefcase, purse, shopping bag or WET UMBRELLA deserve a seat of its own--during rush hour, no less--are selfish inconsiderate asses, even more so than those who don't wait until you exit before they board or the clueless tourons who don't stand to the right.

Other riders who make the Hall of Shame:
Arm Barber
The nail clipper
The Encroacher
Mr. Wide Stance

...and our ever-growing list of annoying riders

Other items:
Red Line blues (WaPo)


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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

One day I got on the metro and noticed the guy in front of me had not only sat on the aisle seat so that he and his newspaper could sprawl across 2 seats, he had his feet on the seat in front of him and had taken his shoes off and put them on the seat next to his feet. He took up 4 seats!

Anonymous said...

Someone said it earlier on this site - people are completely oblivious that they are being rude to others. How is this possible? Is it poor parenting from the previous generation? Not to mention, the feet/leg shot above shows a dire need for exercise, not a lazy-boy-life.

Meg McCormick said...

I'm with you guys... though I have to suggest that that particular seat configuration is flawed at best. That inside seat, wedged in between the outside seat and the handicap seats perpendicular? Just... bad. Still - keep feet off of the seats! GAH!

MartinB said...

I put my bag on a seat next to me sometimes if it's really loaded. But I'll always gladly take it off and make room if someone asks or if the train's getting crowded.

Unknown said...

Nope, you don't put your bag on the seat next to you. That's what your lap is for.

SpeedyTomato said...

People shouldn't have to ask, Hurricane.

I deliberately ask to sit in seats that are occupied by inanimate objects or unoccupied inside seats -- even when there are empty aisle seats available. I can be as passive-aggressive as the best of them.

Anonymous said...

On Friday on a full train a woman put her bags in the seat next to me and stood the whole way. All I could think was that everyone thought her bags were mine and I was hogging the seats. I contimplated standing up and announcing that the bags on the seat were hers andmy bag was safely in my lap.

Brian said...

About a year ago, I was on an Orange Line train during the evening rush hour heading out to Falls Church. As we pulled into Ballston, a woman got on the train with an armful of shopping bags. She made a beeline for the open seat next to me (the lady sitting next to me had just gotten up to get off the train), and sat down- but realizing she didn't have anywhere to put all of her bags, she put the ones in her left hand in her lap, then put the bags in her right hand ON MY LAP, giving me a quick 'sorry' before making a call on her phone. I piled them back on top of her other bags- I was getting off at the next stop anyway, so I got up and headed to the door.

Unknown said...

People puting their feet on seats is one of my pet pevees. People puting their dirty feet on seats that people have to sit on.

Jai said...

Brian: I just had an idiot woman put her giant purse in my lap so she could rifle through it. I completely feel your pain.

Anonymous said...

wow, you guys are sad. You don't want to talk to strangers but you want them to know exactly what you want. COMMUNICATE. It's what we made language for.

Danielle said...

The aisle seat hog is nothing new. Unless you're getting off within two or three stops, scoot the hell over!

One time a couple years ago, I had to stop at the Apple store at Clarendon to change out my broken iPod Touch before going to work in Rosslyn. So I get on the car, and it's a bit crowded, and one woman is sitting on the aisle. She moves aside to indicate I should sit on the window. I actually said "I'm only going TWO stops", but she still insisted on having the aisle. I only wish I could find a way to step on people if I have to shove past them twice.

Anonymous said...

say excuse me and sit down. stop being punks and have a seat.

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