We’re all in the same boat!
Er… I mean, train.
So CHILL the eff out.
Stock train photo from riding in November with my mom – on another day with crazy delays!
When it gets really cold out here, as it has this week, the commuter train switches start to fail and the trains are late. It’s been like this for years. I’ve come to expect it.
So a few times before I commuted on Wednesday, I told Steven that my train home would probably be late (because, you know, it’s always on time GOING to work, ha!).
I get to Union Station after work on Wednesday and it’s a mad house. All of the switches are out going north, nothing is coming in or going. People are everywhere, pushing and shoving.
Okay, be calm, Kim. You expected this.
The train I wanted to take isn’t even there yet. But I see a train going to a different area by our rental house, that was supposed to leave before I got to the station, is still there, sitting on the tracks, with the doors closed.
I talk to a conductor on the train next to it, and he sees if the train with the closed doors will open for me, since we’re all sitting and waiting anyway. I appreciate his help. It doesn’t work immediately, but eventually, the conductor opens the doors and a few people get on.
I expect the train to be full and to maybe have to stand. I don’t care – I just wanted to get out of the cold and on to a train.
But luckily, I see lots of seats with only one person in them!
One person, and their FRICKIN’ bag taking the seat next to them.
Sigh. I hate it when people do that. But sure, the doors were closed, they thought that was everyone that was going to be on the train, give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they waited and put their bag on the seat after the doors closed (riiiiiiiiiiiight).
I find a seat and ask the woman if she minds moving her bags so I can sit.
She snaps. “You know this train isn’t going anywhere, RIGHT?!?!”
I almost lose it. “Yep! I just want to get out of the cold and sit down.”
Geesh. AYFKM?! Whether or not this train moves, I obviously want to sit down. So move your sh*t.
The train sits there for quite some time. After it gets going, she makes lot of comments (she seems to know the other people on the car) about being worried the train will make extra stops because of “the extra people that got let on it,” and stupid crap like that (the train stuck to its original schedule, so GFY and STFU). She complains about how ticket prices go up and the switches still fail. And so on. Whiney whine whine (I guess like I am, now?).
Every time the trains are delayed due to cold, I am always surprised that regular commuters are, well, so surprised. This is what happens when it’s hella cold. It sucks. Deal.
Now, I AM lucky I don’t have to commute every day like some people. If this happened to me day after day, I would be much more frustrated. But still. I wouldn’t be a jerk to someone who wanted a seat, then make nasty comments the entire ride home. You’re just making it worse for yourself.
That lady and I were both going to the last stops. I think hers was one out from mine. The car cleared out as we rode, and there were lots of open seats, but I stayed next to her the whole time. Yeah, I can be passive aggressive, too, biznatch.
Ha! Talking about trains reminds me how unreliable/unpredictable they were in Italy. I wonder how these people would deal with that! Sometimes you just have to go with the flow, folks. Prepare. Bring your drinks and snacks. Bring the book you’re reading and the thing you are knitting. Make sure your phone is charged. Use the toilets on the train. BE NICE TO PEOPLE. It’s all gonna be okay. We all just want to get where we need to be. Let’s cooperate.
And this train ride was not all bad. I got a lot of knitting done. As we got close to my stop, I got up to stand in the vestibule and then we were stuck in place for about 10 minutes, during which I had a very nice conversation with a stranger.
Also, I wrote this post early yesterday morning. Mid afternoon, Metra actually sent out an apology letter about the situation (you can read it here). Wow!
Themocracy
I hate crazy like that…
I always try to tell myself when someone being an A hole that they are probably nice and just having a bad moment, be patient…but reality, sometimes they are just A holes lol I probably would have stayed planted in that seat and coughed as much as possible lol I don’t know a thing about being passive aggressive either…
My mom is always saying stuff like that to me when someone is a jerk or when someone does something jerky to her, and yeah, SOMETIMES that is true, but A LOT of the time, they are just an a hole. LOL. Then it’s up to you to determine how to react. Ha!
This is a Chicago fact of life. People always are shocked but it does happen every year. Keith used to commute to the city regularly (not nearly as regularly anymore) and in the winter it happened. The extreme cold messes with everything. It is what it is!
Exactly! And I know a few years ago people were really pissed for how often my Metra line was delayed in the winter (more than any other line) but… it seems like they are doing what they can. It just sucks we have to commute during that cold (and the storms) sometimes. Be mad you don’t have work from home options! Ha!
Yeah, the trains around here are like that too. We just expect Mike to be late a couple days per week because that’s just how the trains are. At least you were able to get a lot of knitting in. And that’s cool that they sent out an apology.
Yep – must be the same everywhere (that it gets cold?). I hope he has something that keeps him entertained/engaged when his train is late.
LOL at not moving once the train cleared. That’s exactly what I’d do too 🙂
I do tend to think that the people getting most annoyed by that probably DO commute everyday. When I was driving to work everyday, or even taking Metra everyday, I knew that sometimes it would suck or take longer than it was supposed to, and I was never surprised, but when it happens several days in a row (or every single time it’s even remotely crappy out), it does get grating. I’d also get annoyed that a 20 mile commute could sometimes take upward of 3 hours, because WTF.
Yesterday my 30 minute commute took 45 because of a bad accident 2 minutes way from my office. I was a little annoyed because I could see my office but not get to it, but also looked at it as a chance to keep listening to music. So it’s definitely not as big a deal when I don’t have to do it day after day.
Heh 🙂
Yeah, I realize I am really lucky to not have to commute to the city every day anymore like when I started work! If my job went back to that, I would look for a new job because it would make me lose my effing sh*t to commute every day… but because of all the time wasted, lol.
Good for you for finding the bright side in that, yesterday! I am happy it was only a 15 min delay!
I take the bus and it drives me up the wall (haha, get it? DRIVES?) when the bus is full, people are standing, and the goobers taking up two seats STILL won’t move their stupid bag. It never ceases to amaze me how many people believe that public buses, trains, and airplanes should cater to them personally. I can only assume this is part of our cultural emphasis on personal space. But seriously, your bag does not have more right to a seat than another paying customer. Jeebus!
Ha ha, I like what you did there 🙂 And your use of Jeebus 🙂
People are fricking clueless and greedy. And bringing it back to the other post… think about how much more frustrating that would be if you were pregnant and someone wouldn’t move their sh*t so you could sit!
That’s so frustrating to deal with! We have similar issues in excessive cold and heat here (the other morning a few trains were delayed over an hour because of a frozen switch) but most of the commuters are friendly and handle it well. There was a guy from Boston who used to ride the train regularly about 8 years ago and he complained all the time. Of course, the trains were less reliable then so he did have a point but it was still annoying to listen to all the time. (I only mention he was from Boston so you can picture him complaining with a Boston accent. heh)
I am happy you have friendly commuters! Totally LOLing about the Boston accent. We’ve been watching This Old House (which seems to be set in Boston if not there common?) so I can totally hear it. Ha!
Ive found that most people are just awful miserable human beings. And while it’s good to keep in mind that their a-hole behavior is a one off due to a bad day to keep from escalating the situation, I’m sure most of these folks are just complainers and unhappy in their lives 24-7. And it’s not worth it to engage them further. I had to lol that you sat there the whole time, I would have done the same 🙂
Yeah, I imagine they are like that most of the time, as well. Unfortunately 🙁 But when they act like that in public, at least you know to avoid them, ha!
Ha ha ha! Of course you would do the same 🙂
I was SHOCKED by how well the CTA trains ran earlier this week. I was expecting to stand outside forever waiting for trains, and was quite pleasantly surprised when that wasn’t the case! Though I will admit that even though I know it’s going to happen, I still get really annoyed when the trains are running poorly due to the cold – but that’s really just because there are few things more miserable than standing outside in -15 degree wind chills, in my opinion.
But people putting their stuff on the seat next to them: UGH. That’s one of my biggest transportation pet peeves. It’s absolutely awful on Amtrak. You’d think every person bought two seats for how they spread out on those trains. It’s not usually too bad getting on in Chicago, since that’s the start of the line, but when I get on the train to come back to Chicago in the middle of the line, you can walk up and down cars forever trying to find a seat that isn’t occupied by a coat, backpack, suitcase, etc. I’ve found that sort of thing doesn’t usually happen too much on the CTA during rush hour, at least not on my trains, but oh. my. gosh. Sometimes I get on a train with a bunch of high schoolers from Loyola Academy and they are the ABSOLUTE worst. They’ll put their backpacks on one seat, their feet up on another seat, and their butt in a third seat. Like, who ARE you, you horrifically entitled 14 year old?!?! They make me so ragey. My heart always sinks when I see a train pulling up with a bunch of them on it, because I know it’s going to be a lousy commute haha.
Yay, go CTA! And standing out in the cold IS miserable. I always go with looking ridic and bundled up instead of looking fashionable (I never look fashionable, but let’s pretend I care 🙂 ).
Wow, I figured Amtrak would police that more, since the tickets are more $? Geesh. Jerks.
Do you try to get on a different CTA car when that happens or is that not an option on CTA like it is on Metra (can you go between cars?)?
The DC metro breaks if it’s too cold, if it’s too hot, if it’s too rainy, if it’s a day that ends in Y… it’s such a joke. However, the constant break downs and delays in no way inure the riders – everyone is just as pissed off about it every single day! 🙂
For whatever reason, I am signed up for some news feeds out of DC in Feedly and see that the metro is broken down all the time! What is up with that?! That does suck!
One thing I appreciated about this delay, but forgot to mention, is that they changed the announcement from “sorry for ANY inconvenience” to “sorry for THE inconvenience.” I hate it when companies would say “ANY inconvenience,” especially if I have contacted them for an issue. It IS inconvenient, just own it. Ha.
Heh heh. You’re (almost) swearing in a blog post. You’ve come far, Caterpillar.
BTW, I would’ve moved my bag for you.
LOL, yeah, still don’t want to write it out :-/ lol
Thanks 🙂
Ughhhh, I am so mad on your behalf about that rude woman! I know this is the kind of thing where people say, “Don’t take it personally. That reflects more on you than on her!” but I really don’t see how you can not be mad about that. She was so unnecessarily rude whereas you had a very level and polite approach to the entire situation. GRRR!
Harrison had a really horrible train debacle last week, and he said, “Better you than me!” which is almost certainly true. Except that whenever I ride the train, I would bring so many snacks and activities (books! podcasts! knitting! back-up phone charger!) with me just in case, so I’d probably be entertained anyway.
Oh yeah, it’s totally all on her. And I mostly chuckled about it, but I couldn’t help but wonder WTF her problem was and feel annoyed by it. (Like that horrible lady you see in the elevator – she is obviously a miserable person, but it still irks you!)
That is what I try to do, too – just be prepared, as much as possible!!!
We have similar people that ride the Trax light rail here. All about them, not about anyone else.