Friday, July 20, 2012

More Fun Facts About D.C.: Metro Escalators Bite

It's not as if the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority didn't bombard subway riders with messages about not wearing things that get stuck in between the moving parts of escalators...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/dont-let-this-happen-to-you-escalator-traps-teens-fingers-as-he-tries-to-unstick-flip-flop/

When I was there they used to warn people who thought they had to wear shoes with laces to make sure the laces were neatly tied. And here are a few bonus tips, legitimated by the Washington Post, about basic safety for tourists in Washington:

1. Don't park large, unwieldy objects like shopping carts, suitcases, or big bulky boxes on the steps of an escalator. What usually happens at the end is that these objects slide right off onto the stationary metal floor above the last moving step...but occasionally one gets stuck, with extremely unpleasant results for the humans trapped behind it.

2. When riding up or down one escalator in a parallel set, keep a hand on the rubber railing. Avoid touching the metal in between parallel escalators. It conducts electricity and is likely to give you a shock. I've never heard or read of anyone being hospitalized or disabled from this kind of shock, but I've heard dozens of tourists yelp and complain.

3. Never carry money, credit cards, Metro passes or farecards, keys, or other small valuable objects in a purse, bag, or briefcase. Always wear clothes with roomy pockets. Many people in Washington are very conscientious about returning abandoned property to its owner. Many others regard abandoned property as a gift to anyone who can use it, and will start to open your backpack if you set it down while making a phone call...one of this type of Washingtonian once approached a table in a restaurant and offered to finish a relative's uneaten lunch. (Usually these people aren't dangerous, and can't be described as thieves; they see nothing wrong with scavenging.)

4. Drink lots of water. You will sweat it out. People have died from dehydration in D.C. summer weather. If you use caffeine, drink extra water to compensate.

5. Never drive if you can possibly use Metro. Jostling around in a crowd of sweaty strangers is much less dangerous than sharing the streets with people who may have learned different traffic rules, or no traffic rules at all.

6. Try to avoid being in Washington in July or early August, in any case.

I'm so glad I'm not there now...

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