Okayyy, they didn’t really open a spa on the subway…but from what I’ve seen, you’d think they did.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve seen WAY too many people tending to hygienic needs on the train and bus. One awful morning on the crosstown bus, I sat mournfully i-pod-less (gasp!). As I stared out the window, trying not to dwell on my forgetfulness, I became aware of an annoying clicking sound. It was a consistent cross between “click” and “snip”. I did a quick scan around me, but could not find the source. It stopped for a few seconds, then started up again. Note: morning is not the appropriate time to annoy me. I whipped my head around to find the person directly behind me CLIPPING HIS NAILS. I hate the sound that nail clippers make to begin with, but to know that someone is doing it on public transportation totally grossed me out. Like, why couldn’t he wait until he got home? Were his nails so talon-like that he would have injured others if he didn’t clip them right that second?

Needless to say, the same thing happened less than a week later on the B train. I was in plain view of a guy clipping his nails; he stood in front of the train doors, methodically snipping away. I’m sure he left behind a nice pile of nail clippings for people to step on.

A few days later – on the B line once again – I sat next to a woman who made it clear that she had somewhere very important to be. She was dressed nicely – a satin blouse and skirt – and kept checking her watch as if she was late. When she took a mirror and comb out of her bag though, I got nervous. She then proceeded to brush out her already teased hair with such exuberance that I felt the need to inch away. It’s not that she was dirty or unkempt; all I could think about was her hair or dandruff flying onto me. She kept brushing and combing and flipping…if the train wasn’t so full, I would have gotten up and moved. What really blew my mind was when she dropped her comb on the floor of the train – and picked it right back up and continued to brush out her hair.

Come on, there is a time and a place (i.e. your bathroom) for these activities. Public transportation is not one of them.

Check out this story from CTA Tattler that I stumbled across while writing. It makes me wonder: how many of us are experiencing this on a daily basis?

Posted by cher on Sunday, August 19th, 2007 at 6:56 pm.