Practical matters: skirts on trains

[Kirbstone]

Congrats, Ian on your 25th Anniversary. Have a great trip, and if you meet any famous Belgians (Now that Hercule Perriot is dead), let me know.

Tom.

[crfriend]

By "3rd world" seating I'm assuming Henri means where the seat is parallel to the sidewall of the bus/train. In their efforts to carry more passengers on a bus, my local transit agency has started buying buses with more of the seats in that configuration. I avoid them when I can (and I'm physically small), but when I do sit in them I tend to sit with my feet together like SS mentions and oftentimes pulled to one side. Leaves more room for standing passengers to plant their feet.

Yes, it's a high-density configuration that makes everybody pretty much suffer as a lot. Boston has started even removing some of the beach seats on trains to get more people packed into the carriages. It's a pretty miserable situation. But, usually everybody's packed in so tight that at least it's tough to fall over.

I am so physically large (vertically and shoulder-width, even though that doesn't really show in pictures) that I usually just stand because the benches are impractical for me (and anybody near me) whether I have a skirt on or not. I also look more intimidating drawn up to full height.

[Don]

When I next travel between New York and Miami, it will be aboard the Silver Meteor (assuming it's still running)!...

[crfriend]

When I next travel between New York and Miami, it will be aboard the Silver Meteor (assuming it's still running)!...

You will enjoy it.

There are stops, outside major metropolitan areas, where ground-level access is normal, and be careful of your skirt as you descend (or ascend) the stairs from the ground-level platform to carriage-level. But, once on any of the Eastern trains, it's all one level and not a problem. Given high-level platforms I could wear my floor-sweepers and not worry about it.

[Milfmog]

Congrats, Ian on your 25th Anniversary.

Thank you Tom. Our anniversary was actually in April, however we decided that, rather than have a big bash, we would make a point of doing something together every month of the year, taking it in turns to choose and arrange. This month is Carole's turn.

...if you meet any famous Belgians (Now that Hercule Perriot is dead), let me know.

Famous Belgians; well I guess the other two are still around... but one is a cartoon (TinTin) and the other was a pop singer many years ago. Whatever happened to Plastic Bertrand?

Have fun,


Ian.

(I did last night... Borgogne des Flandres Bruin and a huge lump of grilled horse (properly labelled!) and very good they were too )

[skirtingtheissue]

Famous Belgians; well I guess the other two are still around... but one is a cartoon (TinTin)...

In the book The Black Island (L'Ile Noir) Tintin wears a kilt while in Scotland... even when I was a kid I thought that was cool!