Dear Diary:
New Yorkers are walkers. They enjoy the exercise and soaking in their surroundings. Subways, buses and taxis are used only when speed, package weight or safety dictate. Also, while walking there is always the inviting possibility of a chance encounter, sometimes.
You’ve been there: walking down a busy street when â€" WHAM â€" the person in front of you abruptly stops. You barely remain on your feet.
You stare at them in disbelief as they say, “Can’t you watch where you’re going?â€
A few days later you’re strolling along when a person rushes toward you, zigzagging across the sidewalk. The person doesn’t look tipsy, but perhaps might be not be feeling well. You politely step out of the way and bump into another person who has wandered into you. This time you just receive an unpleasant look.
When you think it can’t happen again, you enter a subway station where a person freezes on a stair, animatedly shouting into his or her hand, blocking any access to the train. You want to point out the inconsiderateness but you don’t, patiently waiting for the shouter to move on.
You wonder: Is it mass hysteria? Are people tuning out or just looking at their latest download?
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