Andrew & K.C.

Andrew and K.C. are soccer fans. They just moved to Salt Lake from Idaho with their parents. The night I rode the train with them, they were on their way to help inaugurate the new soccer stadium in Sandy.

Their love of the game must be genetic. Their dad tells me, “In two years we hope we’re riding the train in South Africa on our way to the World Cup.”

Andrew

K.C.

Erin

Erin is a daily rider. She catches the same train every day and sits with the same people. Occassionally though, on a Friday, she’ll have worked all her hours before 5 and leaves the office early. “That”, she tells me, “is when you meet the really interesting people.”

Like this one time when a 14 year old kid made a pass at her. And then got off the train at her stop. And followed her to her car. And then said the funniest thing he could possibly have said. “Pop your trunk, I’ll throw my bike in.”

This is now a secret phrase at my house. Yes, it means what you think it means.

Kimberly

If I’d have guessed, I would have guessed that she was a Julie. Or maybe a Jamie. That would be wrong. She’s Kimberly. That would have been about my 5th guess.

Kimberly works at a bank doing something or another in HR.  Probably cracking the whip on slackers like me who don’t put their timesheets in on time. She rides the train every day and even recognizes some of the other portraits on this site as daily riders.

When I asked to photograph Kimberly she was more than a little skeptical. “For your website? Will you make fun of me?” She even texted her husband to check the URL to prove I was valid. Some shots are totally worth jumping through hoops for though.

Thanks for finally trusing me, Kimberly. To make it worth your while, here’s a bonus shot for you.

Bonus Kimberly

Regis

Regis first caught my attention on the late train home last night when the young girl sitting across from me got up to leave the train and said something to him. I couldn’t make out what it was she said but she was clearly upset with him. It seemed like maybe she wanted him to get off the train with her. But then it seemed like she absolutely didn’t want him to. I couldn’t tell if they even knew each other or if Regis was going to get his ass kicked later by her older brother.

So after she got off at her stop, I scooted over and asked if I could take his picture. While we chatted I asked him about the exchange he’d had with the girl earlier.

“Oh, that’s my girl. She’s mad at me and I didn’t wanna talk about it.”

I don’t know what they were fighting about but he obviously had a lot on his mind.

Ah, young love. I can only hope they get it all sorted out… and that no one gets their ass kicked.

Louis

Louis sits almost perfectly still while the train car rocks under him, his eyes fixed to the page. Occasionally he lifts his hand to turn the page, periodically flipping back to re-read a passage from his Mormon scriptures for reference.

I don’t know where Louis works or even what he does for a living. I only know he rides the train almost every day to save gas and miles on his car. And when he rides, he reads.

Anna

Anna lives on campus at the University of Utah where she’s also a student. Home is where she was headed when she hopped on the afternoon train after a job interview. She’s an International Business major which she hopes will lead her to a career in, “umm… a job?”