New York State of Mind
I snapped this photo a few days ago as I rode the train because for a moment I almost forgot where I was. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the various modes of public transportation in big cities, I can tell you that the convenient oh shit handles that you see here are not something Chicagoans are usually exposed to. Rather, we have metal bars that we try to grasp as the train lurches to and fro and if we’re lucky, there will be sufficient space to hook a pinky and hang on for dear life. Chicago has begun rolling out a few new train cars with these straps and the design of the cars has been modified so as to maximize space (while also maximizing awkward eye contact with the stranger right across from you). However, this was not one of those new cars and the graffiti from 2003 proved this to me. So where did these straps come from? Why are they there? Who’s been messing with my train cars?
Hang on!
The world may never know. What we do know is these straps are usually only seen on the subways of New York so now I’m left wondering if our great city is trying to copy NYC or if some engineer just decided to play mind games with commuters because he was bored. I’m not sure how I feel about this change (and I’m not sure if it really even matters) because I’m just glad to have a place to grope that isn’t the love handles of the person standing closest to me. Bars, straps, love handles…who am I kidding. As long as I have something to hold on to, I’m happy. Even if the straps look like little mini-nooses and leave me with eerie feelings of danger and concern. So hold on tight and mind the gap…wait, where are we again?
