An Open Letter to People in for Harvard Commencement

Dear Tourist-Type Folks with Graduating Relatives.

First off, congratulations to you and yours for whatever degree your loved one is receiving from Harvard today. I do not at all begrudge you your joy at your relative's accomplishments.

But -- and this is important -- please remember that you are visitors in a city in which non-Harvard-affiliated people work and live, as well. I therefore set down the following rules:

1. If you are on a regular commuter bus filled with regular commuters at 6:45 AM, do not -- DO NOT -- start taking videos of them just because they are sharing a bus with your beloved relative (who, by the way, looks like a dork riding the bus in his/her cap and gown).

2. Further to point 1, standing in the aisle and blocking commuters' entrances and exits to get the perfect shot is hereby prohibited.

3. Still photos are permitted, but be prepared to be glared at by not-yet-caffeinated commuters who are just trying to figure out what that damned flash was just a second ago. And please do not photograph the commuters without their permission.

4. When exiting the bus, please do so swiftly. The people sharing the bus with you may actually have a time by which they need to reach their destination. Stopping to take one last photo as your beloved graduate steps off the bus is just bad form. Trust me.

5. Johnston Gate may be a tourist attraction. What do I know? But please be aware -- it is the site of a busy stop for numerous buses. Standing and blocking the sidewalk in front of Johnston Gate as you try to figure out where in the Yard you want to be just slows down the commuters, who may not think twice before either pushing you out of the way or sharing choice vocabulary with you.

Enjoy your visit to Massachusetts, and, again, congratulations on your beloved's graduation!

Sincerely,
--Commuter Chick