Selfies and Coffee Cups

During the holidays, the plaza at Rockefeller Center is jammed with people who want a photo of themselves with the giant Christmas tree in the background. They jockey for a good position, some waiting politely for their turn, others barging in, oblivious to those around them. It's cold out there, so a lot of them arrive clutching a hot drink. But no one wants to include those cups in their carefully posed selfies. Inevitably, they put the cups down on any flat edge or ledge nearby. Then a large proportion of those selfie-takers walk away, forgetting their drinks. Even if they remember them a few minutes later, it would be difficult to push back through the crowd. The line of coffee cups grows as the evening progresses. Eventually, sanitation workers tidy up and a new line-up of cups can begin.