Comments on: Eye on the Station

By: MyNameIsNotSusan

MyNameIsNotSusan — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:44:43 +0000

Yes, when I lived in NYC, and rode subway from UWS to World Trade Center (yes, I’m that old), I was told to not make eye contact (I still use this tactic with my own children and dogs), that the Dominican women will tear yo a$$ up, and know where you’re going. What happened to me first week? Made eye contact with crazy person who took my pizza right from me and ate it. And he looked a little friendlier than MARTA guy above.

By: karass

karass — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:49:17 +0000

Apart from whether or not we should be taking this guy’s picture and commenting on it, there IS a recommended style for riding the New York Subway. You want to sit slack-jawed, with no expression whatsoever on your face, never meeting anyone’s eyes, attracting no attention whatsoever but with your fists clenched so that it’s clear that you will make a lot of noise and commotion if anyone violates your personal space. This is a recommended style for daytime, mandatory for night time or less than full trains. Sitting in a car with a NYPD or transit police is recommended but does not obviate the necessity of the above measures.

By: Deanne

Deanne — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:39:34 +0000

Hrumph! No cookies for you!

By: lumpintheroad

lumpintheroad — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:10:58 +0000

Thank you, Not Susan. In all honesty, I think any one of us is capable of displaying this expression, so the suggestion that I was in some way attempting to disparage this person in particular (or their race, gender, whatever) is ridiculous. I’d probably scowl as well if some random stranger just decided to snap my photo in an empty MARTA station. This gentleman may love puppies and rainbows and foot rubs, but at this particular moment he looks PISSED OFF. To ignore that and suggest that my comment was somehow manufactured from whole cloth smacks of false outrage.

Some of you folks could stand to live in New York for a few years, where an expression like this can seriously decrease the likelihood of mugging.

By: Chira

Chira — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:31:57 +0000

Love your MARTA story! I have LOTS of Marta stories, but I will save them up for future use… to me, riding Marta is a “slice of real life,” and people have time and inclination to interact and talk.

By: J_T

J_T — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:40:09 +0000

Everybody knows that maps don’t play the blues.

By: AnotherRick

AnotherRick — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:46:29 +0000

That should be a man on MARTA, not a map!

By: AnotherRick

AnotherRick — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:45:35 +0000

Here is my MARTA story from last week. A map on the train from Buckhead to 5-points is in a wheel chair carrying a guitar case. He asked if I minded if he played the Blues. I said no, and he pulled out a harmonica and played and sang a hot blues song. He had the whole car taping our feet, banging on the seats, and smiling. He got an ovation when we got to 5-points and he exited. And he never asked money. It was one of the best rides I ever had on MARTA.