I'm working late this evening at a big, fancy gala sort of thing at my work, so I left the house with a ton more bags than usual, and a dress, to get ready for said fancy event this afternoon. I also had to take the Metro since I'll be here so late; I wouldn't be able to take the MARC train home. It took me 40 minutes to drive the 10 miles to get to the Shady Grove metro this morning, so that started me off in a swell mood. Oh, and add in the 18 degree wind chill in mid-November, I'm just ready to hibernate until May.
Anywho, I get on the Metro and find a seat in the center of the car, taking note that there is NO Priority seating sign above where I choose to sit. I stuff all my bags AND dress under my seat, because I'm considerate like that and we're off!
The Metro ride started off very calm and quiet. I'm doing my Tuesday crossword puzzle in the Express -- it's super easy since it's Tuesday and I've had my coffee already. People keep piling on the train, making it more and more crowded and maybe it was around the Cleveland Park stop, that a lady, dressed in all purple, interrupts my 34 Down analyzing to say, "You're in a Priority seat and I need to sit." I calmly look behind me, don't see the sign, am like "uhh, ok" but start to gather all my bags (remember all those bags?), as does the woman next to me (probably close to my age) and clearly we must have seem annoyed, because Purple Lady goes across to where the ACTUAL signs are for Priority seating to an older lady who says she'll give her seat up for her. Okay. The younger woman and I stay put.
My reaction when she asked me to move.
But then, we continue to get dirty looks from the ladies across the way. I hear them audibly talking about it and the Purple Lady thanking the other older woman about giving up her seat!
Now, I like to think I'm a very polite person and I think most people would agree. As noted above, I ALWAYS try and not sit in Priority Seating on the Metro and if I do, I would get up if asked or clearly needed to give my seat to someone older or struggling to stand. ALWAYS. Let me emphasize that. I was raised by a man who served in the Navy, did 2 tours of Vietnam, always showed me how to be polite, expects men to take hats off indoors. My mother instilled the "please" and "thank-you" mentality from the time I was barely able to walk and I was constantly around my grandparents, of which that time spent, I learned to respect my elders. That's WHY I did start moving to get up when asked, EVEN THOUGH I WAS PERFECTLY IN MY RIGHT TO STAY PUT. Either way, I did not appreciate the sneering looks and comments I got afterwards. I DID NOTHING WRONG.
So, just to double-check, I Googled "Priority Seating rules on the DC Metro" and the first three sites are all from WMATA, which do seem to contradict themselves, at times:
The first, a more casual "Do's and Don'ts" of the Metro, say that all seats next to the doors are reserved for people with disabilities and senior citizens.
The second is WMATA's press release from 2009, announcing an initiative to get people to speak up to ask for a seat and how they will be CLEARLY labeling the seats with signs and arrows, indicating the seats are reserved and prioritized for the disabled.
The third is a "Customer Guide for Riders with Disabilities and Senior Citizens". It clearly states on page 7 of this "Guide" that "Priority seating areas are designated with signs." So boom, I was sitting in an OK place.
Either way, my blood was boiling after this and really thinking about it. I truly appreciate someone older who can speak up for themselves, but there's really no need to be rude to someone who was trying to accommodate you, after the fact.
My reaction after the whole debacle.
Hence the typos most likely in this post.
Thank you for reading anyway.
One more caveat: having someone ask you to give up your seat for them at any time, is understandable, but it DOES make it trickier to finagle all those bags and winter items, in the morning rush hour, just so a lady with a fur hat and purple purse can sit in a seat I was allowed to sit in the whole time.
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