Social Setting Observation

Social Situation: Metra Train ride from Chicago to the Suburbs

The Setting: Thursday afternoon metra train express from Chicago to the northwest suburbs. It was another nice summer day in Chicago, and people were clearly taking advantage of the nice weather by leaving work a bit early to catch the 3:30 train home. As I boarded my train car, I notice the floods of people rushing to jump into a car just minutes before the train was scheduled to depart. Lucky for me, I was able to find a seat quickly in one of the first cars, before the car completely filled up. And promptly at 3:30, we were on our way!
Actors: As almost all my experiences on the Metra to and from the city, there is always a diverse group of passengers riding the train. On this day it was especially crowded with tourists venturing to the city for the Taste of Chicago. I grabbed a seat on the train next to a younger business man who paid little attention to anything on the train besides his Ipad. My car had quite a few other business men on the train as well, some loosening their ties as they kicked back and relaxed; others still working and making last minute phone calls. Two rows behind me was a nice looking older couple sitting calmly as they each read their novels. And in front of me, where the bikes and handicapped seating is was a group of 12 men who all seemed to either work together and become train companions until they each got off at their respected stops. The men worked in some sort of blue collar job, most of them wearing overalls and heavy working boots. And before the train took off, as a new man joined, they all greeted him with yells and hollers of excitement and welcoming. The men were also casually drinking cans of beer, clearly enjoying the end of another work day.
It is always an interestingly fun experience to “people watch” on the Metra train home. With the wide array of people coming in and out of the city everyday for a variety of reasons, there are always interestingly social scenarios to observe. What I always find the most intriguing is the way individuals interact with others whom are different. Sometimes people will zone out and choose to ignore with their earphones in, avoiding eye contact. And others, you get that irritable passenger who complains, or moves to another car. I think that the Metra train rides are great settings that define our countries unique diversity and social tolerance of individuals.