The later-evening El crowd
The passengers on the trains in the later evening are a mixed breed -- quite different from the 9-to-5 work/school commuters. Here are three from the other night:
** The scruffy guy. Rough around the edges. Dirty long hair peeks out below the black tossle cap. A bottle of Seagram's Seven juts out from the inside pocket of his jeans jacket. He smacks a box of Marlboro's expectantly against the heel of his hand.
** The Yuppie student. Usually traveling in knots of 3-6. They sport that successful look and discuss which criminal law prof grades the hardest. They're wearing top-notch business casual clothing. Think Claiborne and Ellis.
** The poor schmoe underemployed. They look tired. Been working 10-12 hours in a menial job not even earning a living wage. Their clothes are off the rack at Kohl's or Wal-Mart. They keep our economy running by serving us our sandwiches and coffee and selling Lotto tickets. God bless 'em.
Hey -- I'm fully employed and my clothes are off the rack at Marshall's! Then again, I am a poor schmoe.
Posted by: Kevin B. O'Reilly | March 09, 2007 at 10:47 AM
oh man. you are sooooo poor if you shop at marshall's or kohls. i better go waste $100+ on one item of clothing somewhere else. lame.
(sarcasm aimed at blog writer kevin, not commenter kevin)
Posted by: adam | March 09, 2007 at 01:54 PM
this is completely off topic but what was going on, on the blue line last night around 9:30/10? my curiosity is surging and i can't find any answers.
Posted by: alyssa | March 10, 2007 at 10:13 AM
I was waiting for the Irving bus at the corner of Pulaski and Irving. Apparently someone was hit by the blue line around the Irving Park stop. I saw about 6 firetrucks and numerous cop cars drive by. People that got on that bus were on the train when it happened. It was unclear if the person committed suicide or fell in front of the train. When I got home I watched the news, but didn't hear anything about the blue line. Maybe all the reporters were taking the night off.
Posted by: Tim | March 10, 2007 at 12:36 PM
Ya, this is a little classist. Not everybody who works in the service industry and is not rich in your estimation is pathetic and pitiable. Some of us are quite happy and just doing the best we can.
Posted by: Snarla | March 11, 2007 at 10:48 AM
And some of us live below our means.
Posted by: Brendan | March 11, 2007 at 04:43 PM
Also...since when is Claiborne and Ellis "top notch"? I'm fairly sure they sell both those brands at Kohl's, and I KNOW that they do at Marshall's and TJ Maxx.
Posted by: Lusitania | March 14, 2007 at 12:10 PM