>>15704167They bought them at the corner from that little boy with the silly cap.
He used to yell "EXTRA PAPER! EXTRA PAPER!" when a happening occurred.
But seriously, in the 90s and early 2000s I would just bring a book along or grab a newspaper someone left behind. I used to walk through train wagons until I found a newspaper.
"Walkmans" aka portable music players also existed and were used frequently.
This was in Eurolandia btw.
I'm sure in rural places small talk happens more often while in the city it's rare in public settings.