More tales from the bus
If you’re a regular reader of this column, you may recall that I recently wrote about riding the bus to work in downtown Pittsburgh some days rather than fighting traffic on the parkway. Not only is this a less stressful commute, it also saves me time and money and gives me about a half-hour each way to relax.
You find all sorts of ways to kill time on the bus, and one of my favorite ways is (of course) people watching. I’ve always been a people watcher. They amuse me. I remember many fun times sitting in an airport or on the Jersey Shore boardwalk with my parents just watching people and laughing like fools.
Being in a confined space on a bus, you’re almost forced to be face-to-face with your fellow riders, and it can be a bit close quarters at times. But you also have to watch yourself when people watching in such a confined space so that you’re not being rude and outright staring. If I did stare at a fellow passenger, chances are they wouldn’t even notice because every single person on the bus (except the driver, thankfully) seems to have his or her head buried in a smartphone. It’s almost comical to look around and see this and then to wonder what they’re all looking at or reading. About half of the riders also are wearing headphones or earbuds listening to either music, an audio book or some sort of videos. I actually smiled the other day when I turned and saw one young man in his 20s relaxing and reading a (gasp!) real old-fashioned, hard-cover book!
I often use this time in the morning to catch up on the day’s news and weather data and some social media so I’m up to speed when I walk into work. But on the way home, I can’t be bothered with any more facts or work emails. Sometimes I just sit and look at the scenery, but most days I open up my foreign language education app and practice my Spanish lessons. Ahora hablo un poco de espanol! Eventually, I hope to be able to do more than just order dinner or ask where the bathroom is located.
Two patterns I’ve noticed among my fellow riders really amuse me. The first is that most men who board the bus head straight for the back while females tend to sit toward the front or look around first to see what seats are open. The second funny behavior is that many riders stand up and walk to the front while the bus is still moving. I guess they’re trying to get closer to the door so they can jump off right away?
Personally, I’m not risking being thrown forward if the bus lurches just to save a few seconds. I’ll stay seated and keep people watching until my stop.
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.