Wednesday, December 17, 2014

The Hazards of Headphones

This morning, I got off the Long Island Rail Road and made my usual walk to the subway. The Allman Brothers Band's "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" was grooving in my headphones, and I was in a very pleasant zoned out state.

I stood on the subway platform waiting for the A Train to arrive. The world around me was shut off, and soon I noticed that most everyone on the platform made a hasty retreat to the exits. What happened?
Had an announcement been made? I must have missed it as I listened to Duane Allman and Dickey Betts trade guitar licks. The only people remaining with me also wore headphones, and I probably had the same confused look as they all did. Like a good sheep, I followed the others to the exit. Baaaaaaaa.

Turns out there was an "earlier incident" and all the express trains were diverted to the local track. I waited for the E train and headed downtown.

I always talk about headphones as a must-have commuting survival tool. But like a grenade, your survival depends on how adept you are at using the tools in your belt. Headphones make you less aware of your surroundings, so you need to be careful. It's a chance I'm willing to take in the commuting trenches. 

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Happy and safe commuting, and may you encounter uncommon sense.
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2 comments:

  1. sartoris12/19/2014 6:10 PM

    it's all well and good for the commuters to wear headphones, but I'm really tired of the conductors missing the stops cause they are wearing headphones!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Train In Vain12/19/2014 11:42 PM

      It must be pretty boring to be a conductor. They all look so checked out, particularly on the subway.

      Delete