Every work day morning I board the 2 or 3 train at the 14th street stop via the 7th ave and 12th st entrance. I get off at the 72nd street station and exit at the 71-72nd island in the center of Broadway. In the evening, I reverse my steps.
In just three weeks I’ve deduced exactly where on the platforms I need to stand to be in perfect location for my stairs at the other end of the commute (see: prewalking). In those perfectly located cars (and in other cars, for other destinations), it’s easy to identify the other prewalkers. You can tell they’ve ended up in that car, not by accident, but by deliberate calculation. They move from side to side as the station door side alternates. They move with purpose towards the car doors as we approach a destination. The subway is a study in psychology and personality – from the confused tourists to the type A prewalkers, the casual traveler to the type B meanderer.
It’s funny how on some lines you can tell who’s getting off on your stop because of prewalking. I even got a nod once from a fellow traveler. God, I love this city.
Prewalking is the best! As I read your description (but before getting to the term) I internally shouted at the computer “there’s a term for that, there’s a term for that! I can’t remember what’s it called, but there’s…ahh, prewalking. Exactly.”
Whenever I head to new destination I get a little stressed that I can’t prewalk. I feel like a chump when I have to opt to sit in a middle train car.