the art of shade

I have noticed an interesting summer phenomenon here in Vancouver. It first came to my attention when I was walking towards my bus stop and saw about 6 people tightly lined up across the sidewalk I was trying to walk along. What were they doing? I think they were waiting for the bus too, but why in such an odd formation?

It turns out they were all sharing the shade of the same lamppost.

How odd is that? Since that day, I've noticed all kinds of people trying to escape the sun by standing in the plentiful shade of various city poles (electrical, telephone, more street lamps, etc.) I just don't get it. Shade works to cool you off if, say, a large tree has sheltered a section of lawn from being heated up all day long. But a narrow band of shade on pavement does nothing, as you're still surrounded by heat-radiating concrete on all sides, and even the shaded concrete that you're standing on was in the sun 15 minutes ago and will be there again in 5. The only way the whole pole-shade thing makes sense is if you're trying to read a book without blinding yourself in the sun, and that has nothing to do with heat.

I laugh at the pole-shade people.