Mr. Manners...right side of escalator, please! Proper etiquette in public!

Pick one! Any one!
(But, follow escalator etiquette, please!)

Readers may recall that I started up a new advice column a couple of weeks ago (Mr. Manners) which focuses on proper etiquette and good manners in social, political (even economic) settings.

The first installment dealt with the issue of speaking English in appropriate environments.

Post:  11/24/10

http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2010/11/mr-mannersenglish-in-businesses.html

Today - Mr. Manners is tackling the sticky issue of escalators - and subsequently - traffic flow!

If any of you have ever been to San Francisco, then you've probably noticed that the locals in that fair city are a civilized lot.

On the way to the office at the crack of dawn, for instance, pedestrians wait patiently at the curb for a "green light" before sauntering across to the other side.

Unlike folks in Los Angeles and Tokyo - who end up in a free-for-all in the subway (pushing and shoving for bragging rights) - residents of the City by the picturesque Bay are also inclined to queue up politely along the track and take their turns boarding (according to when they alighted on the "landing pad") the trains shortly after they swoosh to a precise stop at the station.

Though that issue may need addressing in the near future, today - the glare of the spotlight is being focused squarely on the topsy-turvy realm of fast-moving escalators - because things are getting darn ugly after all.

For your information, proper etiquette dictates - that there are two options to follow - when a commuter shuffles on to an escalator.

For example, when passengers are arriving or departing from the underground subway (the English refer to it as "the tube"), they should  - not only step lively onto the escalator - but position themselves on the right side of the escalator with their body hugging the side of the rail.

Or - enter the automated stairwell on the left (in the alternative) - where they'll be free (hopefully) to stride up the steely steps in earnest in the event the hapless souls are late for work and anxious to make headway at every nip-and-turn along-the-way).

Standing in a stationary position on the left (directly opposite the individual on the right) is definitely taboo.

If anything - the selfish conduct simply underscores that the individual in question is either an unsophisticated loser who just scurried out-from-under a slimy rock in the boondocks somewhere - or a thoughtless boob.

Of course, the courtesy is not required (or possible for that matter) at tony Neiman Marcus, where the escalators to the upper levels of the upscale retail outlet in Beverly Hills are barely one-and-a-half  feet wide.

In that scenario, a buffoon with lousy manners would have to be an acrobat to get by a shopper firmly ensconced on the stair ahead with packages in tow.

Nuff said!

By the way, cruise on by in January for the next intriguing subject:

"Check-out line protocol at the local supermarket"

Happy Holidays!

http://www.thetattler

Civilized San Franciscans out for a stroll!

Mr. Manners...launches advice column on the Tattler!



A few years ago, I penned a popular column on manners and etiquette under the catchy by-line of Mr. Manners.

Needless to say - the undertaking was always a complete-and-utter hoot - for the duration I slaved away on the weekly column (which aised a few hackles now-and-then by the way).

Since I have returned to the multi-cultural "Big Bad Orange" - it has not escaped my attention - that the madding classes are more-often-than-not clashing (at blows!) because of cultural, social, and politically-incorrect differences.

So, in the city's hour of need, I have elected to start up the column once again - if only to smooth the way for the huddled masses drifting aimlessly through a sea of uncertainty about deep-rooted traditions (and misguided assumptions) - so they may ultimately gain a footing in this great country without rubbing the locals the wrong way!

The first installment launches tomorrow - so cruise on by - eh?





http://www.thetattler.biz

Vons...employees @ Vegas grocer courteous & outgoing! Kudos...

In one post this past week I was a bit harsh with the locals in Las Vegas on the heels of a couple of annoying frustrating encounters with clueless unskilled store employees at a handful of local retail outlets.

Subsequently, I thought it only fair to also mention occasions when workers act in an exemplary fashion, too.

After all, these selfless giving individuals - who toil away daily - are role models to look up to.

For example, before I started off on the next leg of my journey in the Mojave Desert, I popped into Vons to snatch up some snacks to nibble on.

A down-to-earth woman stepped out from behind the cooler in the Deli section and greeted me with a broad smile.

“Anything I can help you with, dear?”

Then, she offered me a free sample of chicken just rousted from the oven.

The butcher behind the meat case grinned and gave me a cheery hello, too.

When I got to the small line at the check-out - a gentleman with a few more items than moi - beckoned for me to go ahead.

Smooth sailing at Vons.

It used to be pleasant like this at Pavillions in West Hollywood until an unsavory element took over.

I confess!

All the folks I crossed paths with at Vons in Vegas were midde-class white Americans without any "attitude" or delusions of grandeur.

Maybe that was why the service was so prompt, courteous and professional!

Maybe I need to re-think where I shop on a regular basis, eh?

Kudos to Vons.

http://www.julianayrs.com/

Amy Vanderbilt...proper suicide etiquette? Good manners essential...

Amy Vanderbilt was known for being an authority on good manners.

The insightful classy woman was educated in Switzerland and at Packer Collegiate Institute (Brooklyn) in her formative years, but later sought a degree at New York University.

Miss Vanderbilt (her father was related to Cornelius Vanderbilt) worked in advertising and public relations fresh off the campus.

During that time frame, the prim and proper blueblood conjured up the idea for her 1st book:

"Amy Vanderbilt's complete book of Etiquette".

The best-seller - which took five years of research - is still in circulation today and remains an important reference guide on the subject matter.

Some of her thoughts on etiquette may have fallen by the wayside in the new millennium.

But, many would be wise to pay heed to 'em, nonetheless.

For example, on the subject of dinner conversation, she astutely instructed:

"Do not speak of repulsive matters at table."

To social climbers, the reason is obvious.

An eyebrow or two was raised in polite society when she came up with this little ditty on the issue of cougars on-the-prowl in the big city:

"The modern rule is that every woman should be her own chaperon."

Once the Grand Dame was established in the publishing world, she managed to springboard into the lucrative broadcast market where she continued to make headway in America as the undisputed reigning Queen of Etiquette as early as 1952.

The society maven's highly-rated TV Show "It's in Good Taste", for example, enjoyed a successful run from 1952 thru 1960.

When "Taste" wrapped in 1960, Ms. Vanderbilt was offered an opportunity to host another show - "The Right Thing To Do" - which was broadcast on air from 1960 to 1962 much to the delight of her wide fan base.

On December 27, 1974, Vanderbilt died from multiple fractures of the skull when she plummeted from the second-floor window of a townhouse she resided in on the fashionable upper east side of Manhattan.

To protect her name and reputation - and in honor of her loving memory, no doubt - good friends asserted that she must have slipped and fallen due to the dizzying effects of medications for hypertension which may have caused her to lose her balance.

Cynics asserted that she took her own life - and wondered aloud at the time - if it was proper etiquette to commit suicide on public property.

On the subject of the partaking of tobacco, Amy Vanderbilt once instructed:

"Do not smoke without asking permission or sit so near (as in a train) that the smoke might annoy."

Advice that rings true today, doesn't it?

http://www.julianayrs.com