Pick one! Any one!
(But, follow escalator etiquette, please!)
Readers may recall that I started up a new advice column a couple of weeks ago (Mr. Manners) which focuses on proper etiquette and good manners in social, political (even economic) settings.
The first installment dealt with the issue of speaking English in appropriate environments.
Post: 11/24/10
http://leonelgosphar.blogspot.com/2010/11/mr-mannersenglish-in-businesses.html
Today - Mr. Manners is tackling the sticky issue of escalators - and subsequently - traffic flow!
If any of you have ever been to San Francisco, then you've probably noticed that the locals in that fair city are a civilized lot.
On the way to the office at the crack of dawn, for instance, pedestrians wait patiently at the curb for a "green light" before sauntering across to the other side.
Unlike folks in Los Angeles and Tokyo - who end up in a free-for-all in the subway (pushing and shoving for bragging rights) - residents of the City by the picturesque Bay are also inclined to queue up politely along the track and take their turns boarding (according to when they alighted on the "landing pad") the trains shortly after they swoosh to a precise stop at the station.
Though that issue may need addressing in the near future, today - the glare of the spotlight is being focused squarely on the topsy-turvy realm of fast-moving escalators - because things are getting darn ugly after all.
For your information, proper etiquette dictates - that there are two options to follow - when a commuter shuffles on to an escalator.
For example, when passengers are arriving or departing from the underground subway (the English refer to it as "the tube"), they should - not only step lively onto the escalator - but position themselves on the right side of the escalator with their body hugging the side of the rail.
Or - enter the automated stairwell on the left (in the alternative) - where they'll be free (hopefully) to stride up the steely steps in earnest in the event the hapless souls are late for work and anxious to make headway at every nip-and-turn along-the-way).
Standing in a stationary position on the left (directly opposite the individual on the right) is definitely taboo.
If anything - the selfish conduct simply underscores that the individual in question is either an unsophisticated loser who just scurried out-from-under a slimy rock in the boondocks somewhere - or a thoughtless boob.
Of course, the courtesy is not required (or possible for that matter) at tony Neiman Marcus, where the escalators to the upper levels of the upscale retail outlet in Beverly Hills are barely one-and-a-half feet wide.
In that scenario, a buffoon with lousy manners would have to be an acrobat to get by a shopper firmly ensconced on the stair ahead with packages in tow.
Nuff said!
By the way, cruise on by in January for the next intriguing subject:
"Check-out line protocol at the local supermarket"
Happy Holidays!
http://www.thetattler
Civilized San Franciscans out for a stroll!
