41–50 of 129 posts
"keep right" only works in right-hand drive countries, nor is it consistently applied (shopping center escalators, etc.) except for Germany, lol
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I still remember getting my phone swiped on the sidewalk across from my favorite restaurant on Chapel Market. (There are many words I've adopted since moving here. "Pavement" is not one of them.")
Anecdotally, for some reason, random swiping and lifting of electronics, laptops, etc. seems more prevalent in Europe than in the US. Whenever I've heard of a colleague's laptop of whatever being lifted at dinner, it's always Barcelona, Amsterdam, Brussels, etc. rather than San Francisco or New York City. I'm sure it happens in those places too but it seems less common.
It's not a European thing, it's an "I'M OBVIOUS" thing.
I see your anecdote and raise you a "European Tourist gets off streetcar at 6th and Market St. in SF, because it's allegedly the city center and thus must be a great tourist location"...
*I'm originally American and I've lived all over Europe for over 15 years.
Now enter smartphones. This entire communication is simply gone. People on phones only see about a couple meters in front of them. They constantly shift the direction they are walking. It's impossible to predict where they will go. If you're walking towards them, this creates a small spike of anxiety in your lizard brain because it's trying to communicate with them and the lines are down.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Anecdotally, for some reason, random swiping and lifting of electronics, laptops, etc. seems more prevalent in Europe than in the US. Whenever I've heard of a colleague's laptop of whatever being lifted at dinner, it's always Barcelona, Amsterdam, Brussels, etc. rather than San Francisco or New York City. I'm sure it happens in those places too but it seems less common.
Anecdotally speaking, that's because those are tourist trap cities. the person IS a tourist, is in the most touristic neighborhood possible, often in the center, and is behaving like a total tourist. It's not a European thing, it's an "I'M OBVIOUS" thing. I see your anecdote and raise you a "European Tourist gets off streetcar at 6th and Market St. in SF, because it's allegedly the city center and thus must be a grea…
My dream is that one day, everyone will see the imaginary lines down the sidewalk that I do. Keep to the right, just like you're driving, and even someone texting while walking won't run into. Sadly, these lines are imaginary and while people tend to keep right, don't take it very seriously. A deeper issue is how much of the space between buildings is dedicated to private vehicles. When the sidewalk is 6 feet wide an…
In general I find people using their phones whilst walking to be a nuisance, but I'm still not particularly in favour of this. There are at least two legitimate use cases that don't cause too many problems: 1. Using your phone as an actual phone (i.e., an audio only conversation with the thing held to your ear, or with a headset). 2. Using it as a navigational aid. If I'm not too sure where I'm going I'll often use e…
Am I the only one that doesn't have a problem walking and chewing bubble gum?