Up and down

There is an escalator in the place where I work on Wall St that goes between a lobby and a cafeteria. I have never before seen an escalator where such a high percentage of the population walks up and down to speed their path without being forced by a crowd -- like in a train station. Whether this is because they are very busy, because they feel aligned with the firm's mission, or because they fear being observed not bustling in this most public of places, it's impossible to say. In some real sense it doesn't matter. It is part of the culture of this space.