Friday, May 23, 2008

People watching in DC

When I walk to work or ride the metro, I like to watch people. Over the last few months, I have noticed more people jaywalking and taking chances when crossing the street. It's interesting to see when people are in such a hurry to get to work in the morning. Last week I was downtown heading to a lecture, and I saw about 20 people crossing the street at a busy intersection with the no walking sign. I was near 13th Street walking to National Press Club for the Ed in '08 event. I wasn't surprised that people jaywalk, but I saw them running across the street to save 30 seconds on their day.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend sent me this video to watch. Needless to say, I was shocked and it definitely has made me think twice when crossing the road. The man in the video had the right away, and his life was still in harm's way. If only people in DC saw this video, it may reduce the amount of people jaywalking.

The other night I was coming home from a PRSA happy hour, and I was checking my messages on my phone. I was walking through U Street, and I was on my way down the escalator, and I saw this man behind me, and I had this gut feeling about him. I walked quickly through the gate, and I noticed that he was upstairs watching me. Needless to say, I was hoping my train came quickly. I got on the yellow train and sat down hoping that he wasn't on my train. After the doors closed, I was sitting there, and I noticed that he came in my car and sat down a row behind me to my left. I was very nervous, and I was praying quietly that he gets off quickly. There was another guy on the train near me, and I felt safer. At the next stop, the weird guy got off, and I was relieved that he left. I was definitely freaked out a bit.

I really love riding Metro during rush hours because you really get to know people's attitudes and routines. Especially during the morning hours, people are engrossed in reading their books, listening to their iPods, or taking a short nap on the train. I can definitely tell who the regulars are because they stand at a certain location on the platform, women are wearing tennis shoes with their suits, and people have their book in hand. I sometimes stand in a certain area because I know that I need to switch trains, and it helps speed up the process of catching that next train.

Usually when I ride metro, I listen to my iPod and work on a crossword puzzle. In the afternoons, people are tired after a long work day and are not patient in most cases, especially when people aren't following Metro rules. I can definitely understand their pain, but at the same time, these tourists are bringing money to the city. It's an interesting love/hate relationship.

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend!

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