New Yorkers are awesome. On more than one occasion I've seen them work together toward a common goal without any kind of authority requiring them to do so or organizing them in any way, simply out of respect for one another. Here's an example.
While in Manhattan on business last week, I used the 50th Street C/E Subway stop every day to get to and from work. The downtown platform is split into two levels, E on top, and C on the bottom. At some point along the way, it matters which train you get on. But for a lot of people, either train would work just as well. Many other subway platforms have multiple trains stopping at the same platform (opposite sides or even the same track sometimes). But not the 50th Street C/E Downtown platform. E is on top, and C is a curving flight of stairs below it. In other words, it's a very poorly designed platform that leads to some annoyance and difficulty.
So what do New Yorkers do? They wait at the stairs. From there, they can see the E track. Someone waits down below at the C track. If the C train comes, he calls out and all the people waiting rush down the stairs to catch the train. If the E train comes, the people call down to the one waiting and then hold the door for him so he can make it up the stairs in time.
I was at this platform on three different occasions. The first time I was confused and not sure what to do. I saw people waiting at the top, so I waited with them and ran when they ran. I was shocked to see it happening again the next day and even more shocked to see it on the third day.
New Yorkers are awesome. And because of that, I always managed to catch the train even if arrived downstairs first.
