I almost lost it on said subway a number of times. But lo and behold, claustrophobia was conquered on one particularly rainy day at rush hour on the central line (busiest). I do believe I did not have to hold on at all as six Suits were keeping me upright just fine with their bodies' invasive presence. After about ten minutes on there with my face pressed against the steamy window, the train stopped in between stations, leaving the sea of us in darkness...a person had been caught under the tracks they ever so kindly mentioned. Well, I could either have gotten all hot and bothered but really, I was not the one under the tracks so I plugged in the pod and decided to get over it. When I did eventually exit that train, I was so proud of not going hooligan-after-local-team's-loss on Sir Stuck-Up-A-Lot and co. that I no longer bristled whenever a fellow commuter stepped on my foot. They must just be rushing to get home to read a bedtime story to their children, right?
There is nothing like walking in complete anonymity in amongst a wall of humanity, bouncing off of one another like agitated atoms, to make one feel small. That smallness can be quite comforting.
