Train etiquette

I've been riding the T a lot here in Boston. I follow all of the common sense etiquette rules that are true to most public places. Let people off the T before getting on, if the train is pretty empty, don't sit right next to someone- respect their personal space, don't sneeze on people, etc etc. But there is one bit of etiquette I've learned here in Boston that is very different from how things work in Louisville.

NO MATTER WHAT- DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH ANYONE. This is something I struggled with a lot at first because in Louisville, often times when I was walking around downtown I would make eye contact with a stranger and they would smile and say "How ya doin'?" Cause southerners are just nice like that.

But on the train in Boston? Totally different story. Making eye contact with people makes them uncomfortable, sometimes angry, and gives you away as a non-native. Instead of looking around, you should either read a book, stare at your phone even though there's no service underground, or just stare at the ground or the ceiling.

There is ONE and ONLY one exception to this no eye contact rule. And that is- you are allowed to make eye contact if the person you are staring at is holding a baby. In that case, you can make eye contact, smile, and even in some cases TALK to them about the baby and how cute he/she is. This puzzled me for awhile because it contradicted everything I thought I knew, but I guess it makes sense. Because no matter who you are, everyone likes a cute baby.

I'm not sure why no one likes to make eye contact. I do know though, that the people here aren't mean, and I have evidence. One day on the train, I sneezed and a stranger across from me said "Bless you." Three different times, I've seen people start to fall when the train moves and they're standing and not holding onto a pole- and people all around them jump to catch the person and keep them from falling down. See? They're secretly nice. It's all an act to live up to the stereotype that northerners are rude or mean. But I'm on to them. Can't fool me, you secretly nice northerners!