Seen on Pittsburgh transit

While riding the T last week, I noticed an adult woman sucking her thumb. It was an impressively public display of a childhood habit.

Yesterday, during a rainy, crowded bus commute, I noticed people giving their seats to other people. Others politely slid and scrunched to the back of the bus to allow new passengers to board. The bus was full of all kinds and colors of people. It nearly made me weepy with pride. Offering a seat wouldn't have happened in Ukraine. Even I, by the end of my service there, had completely acclimated and refused to give up my seat for almost anyone.

A friend noticed something strange at a Pittsburgh bus stop yesterday. Four people stood waiting in the rain. The first three held umbrellas. The fourth held a gigantic fan.