V For Vexation

Paul looks out the window of the Metro towards the Vienna/Fairfax GMU station platform.

When you're in the DC metro area during April, you have to go down to the tidal basin to take pictures of the cherry blossoms to show to the folks back home. I usually take the Orange line into Smithsonian Station, which is a short walk from the Washington Monument and the cherry blossoms. Seems like a lot of people like to visit their family when the cherry blossoms are supposed to be out, which means we have a fair number of visitors on the Metro right now.

I can deal with the tourists not knowing about keeping to the right if you're not walking down the Metro escalators. They likely don't realize why the commuters are shooting them irritated looks. But this is relatively minor compared to some of the things they do.

On the way back from DC, the metro was pretty packed. I had my big stroller because it's more suited to day trips, but I also carry my hip sling just in case I do have to stand. It's a little tricky to manage both solo, but it's quite doable when you have both parents there. Most of the stations I've been in have signs that tell you when the next train is due, so you have a good idea of when to fold your stroller if you don't use a sling.

There was a couple who also had a huge stroller. They took a row of seats with enough room to stow a folded stroller in front of them. They put their child on their lap, and then turned the stroller so it was blocking 90% of the aisle to keep it from rolling. There were 4 seats and a bit of standing room behind them that went unused because no one could get around the stroller. The baby wasn't in the stroller, there were no packages that would prevent it from being folded, it had brakes, and perhaps more importantly, they had a place to keep it out of the way.

Yet there it was, blocking the aisle for 15 stops. It probably would have been more, but stop #15 was the end of the line. My jaw must have hit the ground when I overheard someone ask them if they could turn the stroller so they could get to the empty seats and the father gave them a "and you're bothering me about this because....?" look before returning to the City Paper.

2 Comments

1. Missy — 2006, April 15 @ 1:53 am

   Oh geez. I hate people who give parents with young children a bad name.

   I do love subways, though, especially the Metro. That’s the only way to see D.C., in my opinion.

   Anyway, sorry to interrupt your lovely blog, but I’ve tagged you to do a meme. It’s on my site. Post the answers if you feel like it, otherwise, I won’t cry. You can post the answers in my comments section if you don’t want to do it here.

   All of this after I swore I wouldn’t do this so much anymore…:P

2. Caitlin — 2006, April 15 @ 9:04 pm

   I’ve seen it happen a few times, and most of the time, the parents just seem to be clueless and a little embarassed it didn’t occur to them first when someone brings it to their attention.

   I agree. Much less stressful than driving in and a lot more interesting for people watching.

   I’ve been working on the meme off and on today. Finding 6 unusual things about me is harder than I thought.

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