7 Types of Commuters We’ve All Seen in the City

Katherine Ripley • June 15, 2015

Manhattan is a weird place. Its population on weekdays from 9 to 5 is 3.1 million, but half of those people don’t even live there. Hundreds of thousands of people commute from each of the boroughs and from New Jersey every day. Maybe you’re one of them. Here are 7 types of NYC commuters we’ve all encountered. Do you see yourself here?

1. The Bookworms

They’ve got their noses buried in everything from Danielle Steel to Franz Kafka, in hardback, paperback or tablet. Some of them even read while they’re walking. And the crowd just moves around them, like they’re rocks in the middle of a river.

2. The Chatty Kathy’s (or Kenny’s…sometimes men are worse than women)

“Yeah, were you there last night?…I didn’t make it, how was it?…Yeah?…Oh really?…Are they still seeing each other?…Uh-huh….No I still haven’t talked to her….No she’s thinking about moving out….I don’t know….Are you free for lunch?…”

3. The Manspreaders

Plenty of literature on this one already.

4. The Bike Riders

Saving money on gas and the subway, keeping it green, and braving the dangerous New York City streets riddled with double decker buses and reckless cab drivers. We salute you.

5. The Pack Mules

They carry a briefcase, a backpack and a gym bag. And probably a snack. Kudos to you for planning ahead and getting in your workout every day, while the rest of us go home, sit on the couch and eat leftovers.

6. The Narcoleptics

Okay, probably not narcoleptics. Probably just tired because they had a wild night last night, or woke up early to get the early train, or had a long day today, or all of the above. This is the city that never sleeps, so sometimes you have to catch your Z’s on the way to work.

7. The Tardy Charley’s

They hop the turnstiles and slip onto the subway car just before the doors close. When they get off the PATH they’re moving in leaps and bounds to make their connecting trains. They may seem like they don’t have it together, but these commuters really get what New York is all about. Everyone is always moving, and you’d better keep up.

Tags: Funny