I was at a Greyhound bus station in Erie, PA two evenings ago, so October 2nd, 2014, standing outside in the cold, I bummed a smoke from a guy traveling from one assignment in the army to another. We were talking about what it's like.
Hopefully I am not embellishing or misremembering this too badly, as it runs together with many many scenes I have seen before:
This guy gets off the bus. Maybe 10 yards away, I only caught a glimpse, but he was definitely wearing a grey fedora and an overcoat, slacks, dress shoes. The guy is wearing slacks and what looked like dress shoes, but I figure could be a religious weirdo, someone going to a party, businessman coming from a rainy place, etc. Afterall, Don Draper brought back fedoras along with those ridiculous, even disturbing skin-tight suit pants.
Guy uses a PAYPHONE. Now I know he's one of us. Too many coincidences, everything, even modes of transit and communication vintage. He walks to the front of the bus, lights still lit, his girl approaches him. Wearing four inch heels and a knee-high dress, think it was red, maybe teal, she stands up on her tippy toes as they embrace and kiss passionately.
"Man that's like something out of the movies," says the soldier, considering his cigarette.
"Yeah man, I know. Those two are DEFINITELY fans of the Golden Era and 'Mad Men.'"
They left.
Now I wish I had asked the guy if he was on here, and told him to join if he wasn't!
I was wearing jeans and a wrinkled green polo, not because I wanted to, but because all but one of my suits were soiled or wrinkled, and I had my dress clothes needed for the next day, in luggage. There really does need to be a "Fedora Lounge" pin we can wear when we are "undercover." And I vow to dress nicely in transit again from now on. Three piece suit, pocketwatch, hat if weather permits. Once I was congratulated for being "the best dressed person on the train" by an Amtrak conductor. Miss that.
Was the scene a little showy, staged, Hollywood stylized? Yes, but I am sure most of the bystanders including myself and Army, appreciated it. So if you two are on here, make yourselves known! If not, it is too bad fellow afficionados passed one another by without a tip of the hat, a word, an introduction. I blame the damn Amish and Hassidics for my initial doubt, too! :-D
Hopefully I am not embellishing or misremembering this too badly, as it runs together with many many scenes I have seen before:
This guy gets off the bus. Maybe 10 yards away, I only caught a glimpse, but he was definitely wearing a grey fedora and an overcoat, slacks, dress shoes. The guy is wearing slacks and what looked like dress shoes, but I figure could be a religious weirdo, someone going to a party, businessman coming from a rainy place, etc. Afterall, Don Draper brought back fedoras along with those ridiculous, even disturbing skin-tight suit pants.
Guy uses a PAYPHONE. Now I know he's one of us. Too many coincidences, everything, even modes of transit and communication vintage. He walks to the front of the bus, lights still lit, his girl approaches him. Wearing four inch heels and a knee-high dress, think it was red, maybe teal, she stands up on her tippy toes as they embrace and kiss passionately.
"Man that's like something out of the movies," says the soldier, considering his cigarette.
"Yeah man, I know. Those two are DEFINITELY fans of the Golden Era and 'Mad Men.'"
They left.
Now I wish I had asked the guy if he was on here, and told him to join if he wasn't!
I was wearing jeans and a wrinkled green polo, not because I wanted to, but because all but one of my suits were soiled or wrinkled, and I had my dress clothes needed for the next day, in luggage. There really does need to be a "Fedora Lounge" pin we can wear when we are "undercover." And I vow to dress nicely in transit again from now on. Three piece suit, pocketwatch, hat if weather permits. Once I was congratulated for being "the best dressed person on the train" by an Amtrak conductor. Miss that.
Was the scene a little showy, staged, Hollywood stylized? Yes, but I am sure most of the bystanders including myself and Army, appreciated it. So if you two are on here, make yourselves known! If not, it is too bad fellow afficionados passed one another by without a tip of the hat, a word, an introduction. I blame the damn Amish and Hassidics for my initial doubt, too! :-D
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