Morning time is quite a crowded time at subway stations and while emerging out of station, many people (at times me too) walk up using the left part of the stairs when right one is moving too slow. I saw this Asian guy waiting at the beginning of stairs for the right lane to get clear. In front of him were many commuters (including Asian girls) walking up the left stairs. When crowd cleared from the right lane, this guy began walking up and I just followed the Asian guy. When we came out, I said, “Excuse me, can I ask you a question?”
“Yes”
I asked him why he did so. First, my articulation skill in English is quite poor in describing physical scenarios. I really need a pen and paper. I can’t put things in words as easy as I could describe visually. So I take longer to frame my question and convey what I meant to ask. During those 40-60 seconds, I feel so much pressure about what’s going in the mind of my subjects. I look at their eyes and their face. They are very attentive, after all I am asking a question about them, about their action, and not about why sky is blue. Their face is not relaxed and they are not smiling. They might as well be feeling that I am judging them. When I finish my question, that’s when I see a faint smile or sometimes laughter on their faces.
So this guy explained to me that right lane is what people use to go up. People come down from the left.
“Yeah exactly, but there were many who were going up from the left too.. .. in front of you”
“Well this is New York, people take different paths to reach their destination.”
