SATURDAY, 03 SEPTEMBER 2005

A FEW THOUGHTS ON NEW YORK CITY

In no particular order.

1. You don't stand "in line" in New York City, you stand "on line." "Next on line please!" This leads me to wonder: which is more accurate? I look down and see that I'm not actually standing ON a line in the floor, so "on" line doesn't work. But then, am I really IN line? Have I been swallowed by the line? This is one of the many things in New York that are just slightly different from real life.

2. Stoop sales are AWESOME. I saw this sweet advertisement for a stoop sale in our neighborhood in Brooklyn.

0 3. Rush hour in New York is crrrazy. One morning last week we were standing on the platform waiting for the 4 and when it finally came it was PACKED. You couldn't have fit an extra thought in there much less an extra body. The husband and I looked at the train and then looked at each other and said "YEAH RIGHT" and waited for the next train. Four minutes later and about 300 people fewer, we got on and went to work. That's the beauty of the subway, there's always another one coming. Though this is only true on certain lines. I've heard some people say that MTA stands for Might Take Awhile, and when it comes to the R, they're right. I once waited 20 minutes for an R train, and it was really painful. It's hot in those stations. No, hot doesn't really describe it; it's sweltering, face melting, lose-five-pounds-in-water-weight hot. And Borough Hall smells strangely like rotting bodies, I wonder what's up with that.

4. I saw a rat on the subway track today and whipped out my camera to get a picture. I got a bunch of weird looks for that.

5. While we're on the subject of subways, here's this: last night we went to Queens to see the US Open. The subway ride back was a lesson in invasion of personal space. It was so packed I couldn't move my arms and I could have let go of my purse and it would have been suspended at my side by the pressure of about 15 people pushing on it from all sides. Next to me was a playa, you know the type, doesn't tie his shoes and wears his hat too big and has big diamond studs hanging from his ears. Every few seconds he'd start rapping along with his iPod, providing wonderful commute entertainment. The other yuppie tennis fans didn't take to it too well, but I thought it was a nice distraction.