Everyday life is better than TV

We could go on forever about the latest TV shows, musical artists or Broadway shows, but let’s not forget the best and easiest form of entertainment of all — people watching.

Sure, it’s fun to go line-for-line with your favorite episode of “Friends” and go through the dance you choreographed to Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl,” but what can beat the variety of characters and legitimate interactions of sitting on a bench/bike rack/large flower pot and simply observing the world go by?

Think about it. There’s so much to see, from the drama and tension of a couple about to break up to the pure joy and excitement of a kid’s dad agreeing to buy him an ice cream cone, that doesn’t even require pressing a button on a remote.
Though the two-hour finale of “Lost” may be exhilarating to sit through, people watching has its own kind of pizzazz.

Where else can you witness people of all sizes, shapes, colors and fashion senses parading across your peripherals, discussing every topic from last night’s bar crawl to the fact that their shorts are riding up uncomfortably?

You can catch snippets of jokes, be surprised by the awkward pitch of a big guy’s voice when he answers his cell phone, or watch people do that awkward which-way-is-he-gonna-go dance across the narrow sidewalk.

Last weekend, I ventured to downtown Chicago to see a friend. After tromping around for five hours, we spent a full 90 minutes stationed outside a Niketown observing those around us.

We saw tourists snapping their digital cameras wildly and businessmen loosening their ties, couples heading out on dates and girls with bags full from the American Girl store. We were asked to donate money to a kids’ basketball team for new jerseys and some poor guy thought we looked knowledgeable enough to ask for directions to the Gap.

Because really, people watching isn’t just seeing what these other people are wearing, doing and going through in their daily lives. It’s like, in some small way, getting involved in their lives ourselves.

Unless that’s totally creepy, in which case I’m going to go work on my dance moves.