Thursday, July 09, 2015
In Which I Am Helpful
Recently I was down in kind of the tourist area of Michigan Avenue (I wasn't hustling up the Hancock or anything; pretty much every physician I've ever had is right near there) and I kept getting stopped by random strangers with questions.
A woman with two kids and an old person in tow asked me if this was where you board the trolley to Navy Pier. Of course I did not. But this did not seem to satisfy her, as she persevered to re-ask the question in several different forms. Eventually I kind of made up a halfhearted answer that probably had the effect of getting her entire family murdered. I didn't have the heart to tell her that Navy Pier was within easy walking distance. Or that it's terrible and no one should go there.
Another guy asked me if the place he was looking for was at the top of the steps we were standing near. It was. But when I told him that, he complained that he couldn't climb the steps because he had knee problems. That seemed a bit beyond my jurisdiction (was I supposed to carry him?) so I just kind of made a frowny face.
It was kind of weird, because I don't usually get stopped multiple times in the same day, much less the same trip. But later I realized that it was probably because I was wearing a suit that day. I think people feel much less worried about people in suits murdering them. Because of course everyone knows people in suits are much more likely to sell us worthless investments and spend the profits on dolphin racing or something.
Recently I was down in kind of the tourist area of Michigan Avenue (I wasn't hustling up the Hancock or anything; pretty much every physician I've ever had is right near there) and I kept getting stopped by random strangers with questions.
A woman with two kids and an old person in tow asked me if this was where you board the trolley to Navy Pier. Of course I did not. But this did not seem to satisfy her, as she persevered to re-ask the question in several different forms. Eventually I kind of made up a halfhearted answer that probably had the effect of getting her entire family murdered. I didn't have the heart to tell her that Navy Pier was within easy walking distance. Or that it's terrible and no one should go there.
Another guy asked me if the place he was looking for was at the top of the steps we were standing near. It was. But when I told him that, he complained that he couldn't climb the steps because he had knee problems. That seemed a bit beyond my jurisdiction (was I supposed to carry him?) so I just kind of made a frowny face.
It was kind of weird, because I don't usually get stopped multiple times in the same day, much less the same trip. But later I realized that it was probably because I was wearing a suit that day. I think people feel much less worried about people in suits murdering them. Because of course everyone knows people in suits are much more likely to sell us worthless investments and spend the profits on dolphin racing or something.
