Unsuck DC Metro: Can't Touch This

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Can't Touch This

V.I.P.

From A.

This past Saturday morning, I boarded the Blue Line train to Largo at Pentagon City and saw this sleeping passenger across the aisle from me.

He had taken his belt off and tied it to the hand rails on his seat and the seat in front of him.

I wasn't sure how to interpret this makeshift barrier: Velvet rope? Crime scene tape? At any rate, this passenger awoke a few stops later, untied his belt, exited the train, and proceeded to re-loop his belt onto his droopy pants on the train platform.

Comments (20)

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0 Vote up Vote down

Corresponding Toads · 748 weeks ago

Always use protection.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Ever and Anon · 748 weeks ago

If ya only had a few Xmas ornaments to hang from it... see his face when he woke up!

It's getting depressing. This morning two well dressed military fellows got on. Blue beret and beige beret, full uniform, shiney and pressed.. with Starbucks cofffees they drank while facing the sign saying "no food on Metro." If the military is now ignoring all the rules, what hope for the rest of us?

6 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

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Megan · 748 weeks ago

If Metro isn't going to do anything about other riders ignoring the rules, why should any of us, including military riders, bother paying attention? I reported someone eating to the station manager a few weeks ago, and they said, "if they are not doing it now, there's nothing we can do."

+1 Vote up Vote down

GDopplerXT · 748 weeks ago

Don't put this on Metro. It's not their fault that we (as a city, as a society? I don't know) can't or won't follow simple rules that benefit us all. If they actually dedicated the necessary resources to policing this stuff you would be back on here in a flash bitching about how Metro is taking down old ladies having a little snack when they can't fix the escalators or run the trains on time. (I think this actually happened a few years back; someone got arrested for eating a candy bar in a station and the public outrage was considerable if I recall correctly.)

So if you're going to subscribe to the philosophy of "if others are doing it, then so will I" then congratulations, you are doing your part to make things worse. If you're cool with that, fine, just don't point the finger at Metro, because they're not the ones breaking the rules.

-1 Vote up Vote down

Anon Ever · 748 weeks ago

I always see Metro staff eating and drinking on the trains while "as passengers." Does that change anything?

+1 Vote up Vote down

GDopplerXT · 748 weeks ago

I never see Metro staff eating and drinking on the trains while "as passengers." Does that change anything?

My earlier point still stands.

-1 Vote up Vote down

ess · 748 weeks ago

I use the passive-aggressive approach sometimes, especially with obvious tourists/business travelers: "I don't know if you know this, but no one is allowed to eat or drink on the metro in DC. They don't catch everyone, but the fines are pretty high if you do get a ticket--and I'd hate for that to ruin your trip!"

+1 Vote up Vote down

SWDC · 747 weeks ago

Women have been ignoring the no drink on Metro laws for years. 90% of scofflaws I see drinking coffee on Metro are women. Easily.

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dan · 748 weeks ago

That's gotta go in the hall of shame...

What would be a good title for it?

It's too early for me to think of anything witty. I'll leave that to the rest of the Unsuck mob... all I can thinmk of is the "Seat's Taken!" scene from Forrest Gump.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

anon · 748 weeks ago

Well, of course it's taken... he's in it! You can sit in the other one easily enough. This isn't really a hall of shame moment.

+6 Vote up Vote down

@Rizzz · 748 weeks ago

It's to catch him when he slumps to that side, so he won't fall on the floor.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Sassycatz · 748 weeks ago

Looks like he was just trying to prevent himself from falling over onto the other seat while taking his morning snooze. So clever and considerate! ;-)

+1 Vote up Vote down

Bet · 748 weeks ago

THe Dt's? I see druggies riding and slumping on occasion too

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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freckled1 · 748 weeks ago

Maybe he was on his way home after a long shift at work? Or on his way to work? Have some compassion for a fellow human!

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Bilbo · 748 weeks ago

At least he wasn't sprawled across the seat with his legs stretching halfway across the aisle, like I often see on the Blue and Yellow lines.

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Anon EverOn · 748 weeks ago

What if we'd taken the rope quietly... gently...and tied his ankles with it. Think he'd notice when he woke up or just wonder who stole his rope? ;-)

+6 Vote up Vote down

Smilla · 748 weeks ago

Yeah, I don't really have a problem with this. At least he's sitting on the inside, and he's not taking up more than one seat. And he removed the rope/belt when he left.

-6 Vote up Vote down

Doc · 748 weeks ago

awesome pic of sleeping young man.prob a gang thing.odds he dead in a week aren't to good..coffee and water should be allowed in stations and trains..when your stuck in a station on a train or tired of walking escalators you need a drink.

+2 Vote up Vote down

graxczyl · 748 weeks ago

At least he does not appear to be barfing, unlike a young lady sitting near me late last Friday night.

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Mike · 748 weeks ago

i don't have any objection to this either - he isn't taking up any extra room or getting in anyone's way.
And I actually like the idea of his roping off his own space. I've sometimes thought how nice it would be to so something like this, but actually take it a step further and have a solid barrier between the seat cushions, to protect myself from the wide-stance leg spreaders, the overweight folks, or other people who want to occupy not only their own seat but part of mine too.