Old people rumble. who's being the douche?

[The DaveR]

Last week I was walking out of the subway on 59th St. For those unfamiliar with New York, typical subway exits are narrow stairs--enough room for two people abreast, typically one a line going up and a line going down--, on average somewhere around the one flight. 59th St, however, is about two flights up, with a flat section at the midpoint. It looks something like this:



You get the picture.

So, as I begin climbing the stairs I look up and directly ahead of me, also walking out, is a middle aged woman, probably 55 or so, a little overweight but not overly so. She looks motherly. Ahead of her is a very old woman, she's small looking and frail and it's obvious she's going to climb at an uncomfortably, agonizingly slow rate. The left side of the stairwell is clear--this is at the bottom of the stairs. The middle aged woman seems to intuit this as well, and as I try to hustle around them, she moves to the left to pass the old woman. Ok, fine. It turns out, she isn't trying to pass the old woman. She continues going at the same snail's pace but now it's impossible for anyone to pass anything.

Intolerably, this continues up the first flight. Near the the midpoint, however, before the second flight starts, the middle aged woman runs into an old man. Literally. He's like 75, rail thin, in a suit, and slightly hunched over. He was probably like 6-3 in his prime but now it looks like a sharp gust of wind could snap him in half. Anyway, he's walking down the stairs and he just wordlessly plows right into the middle aged woman in a way that is obviously intentional and she, even though she outweights the old guy by at least 60 pounds, stumbles backward and knocks the old woman previously in front of her into the wall. He continues, and the middle aged woman starts yelling. I scoot past the opening and make a hasty exit.

Who's in the wrong here, the woman who doesn't understand left from right or the obviously passive aggressive geezer who probably thinks military school is the solution to our troubled youth?

[Hornacek]

Woman is. Take the stairs on the right at all times. Are you talking about the exit on 60th and Lex? Which corner? The southeast and southwest corners have very wide stairwells.

[Runner Runner]

The woman should be on the right. The geezer shouldn't be plowing into her. The old lady is the only person who has been wronged.

[mrkilla]

your rendition of the 59th street is spot on...

They're both wrong FWIW

The Geezer should have made an attempt to go left or right, same thing for the woman. I mean I've cut up the left stair well too in the AM when its jammed up but I atleast make an attempt to dodge people. When the old dude saw the bus coming for him he should maybe just stood there and made her go around if he was looking to prove a point.

[MaxPower]

In my opinion, people walking down the stairs should have priority over those walking up.

[samjjones]

If this is the 59th and Lex entrance, I always go down the left side. Word.

[dlk9s]

Neither the 55 year-old lady nor the man are in the right, but I actually feel that the man is more in the wrong here. While the lady was being annoying, there is no reason to intiate physical contact with her. Their days would've gone so much better if he would've just sucked it up and given her the option to squeeze by or fall back.

I never understand why people choose to be jackasses just to prove a point. Just smile and go about your damn day.

[turnipmonster]

old guy is def being a serious douche. running into a lady walking up the stairs, wrong side or not, is out of line. if they're both walking up the stairs in such a way so that he cannot avoid running into one of them, his play is to stop, and give the one walking on the wrong side enough time to realize she is going to run into him if she doesn't get out of the way.

--turnipmonster

[Dids]

The lady is more annoying, because I can't stand people who are clueless to the world around them.

The man is more wrong, but you gotta respect his gangsta some too...

[The DaveR]

[ QUOTE ]
In my opinion, people walking down the stairs should have priority over those walking up.

[/ QUOTE ]

No way, Max. Priority is always to people leaving smaller spaces and going to larger spaces. Elevators, restaurants, etc etc.