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.

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

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?”

Mary Webster

At first glance Mary Webster is the classic portrait of the daily commuter. Dressed sharply in a skirt and blouse, she means business. But if you look close enough at any regular commuter you’ll find each one creates a personal space for themselves in their own way. They make this space on the train not quite public but not quite private. And it’s these personal details that tell you about who they really are and give you clues to what kind of person they are away from the office.

And this closer look at Mary tells you there’s more to her than just what you see. Take her glasses, for example. They’re Dolce & Gabbana but still somehow seem better suited for sitting in a coffee shop or riding a scooter around campus than sitting in an office. And the white headphones she uses are connected to a classic iPod. You just know she docks it to a PowerBook in her loft apartment.

There’s an acedemic style about her that’s hard to pin down. But clearly, just underneath the office-worker costume is an independent, academic spirit. And as soon as you chat with her you’re instantly drawn in by her generous smile and charming, subtle east-coast accent.

“I just moved here from Boston”, she volunteered, “you know, just for a change.”

I knew there was probably more to the story and I think she would have told me had I asked but I didn’t press her for it.

“I’m an executive assistant at an accounting company but what I really love is teaching music. I’m a vocal instructor. I studied at the Boston Conservatory. But you gotta pay the bills.”

She enjoys riding the train too. “Though”, she complains, “they aren’t as reliable here as they are in Boston. I just missed my train and I have to wait 15 minutes to catch another.”

Then she told me the story of a friend who regularly rode the train in Boston. “So she was sitting next to a guy who was drinking an orange soda. He’d take a sip and look at her. Then take a sip and look at her. Finally, he turned to her and raised his voice, ‘I’M FINISHED!’ You don’t get too much of that in Salt Lake.”