I spent Friday afternoon in Manhattan. Though it was hot as hell (I even got to use the ol' "I'm sweating like a whore in church" quip), it was a fun time. I spent the bulk of the time in Greenwich Village, which, if you haven't been, is a real trip. I stepped out of the subway and was nearly face to face with a tall guy in drag. It was a fitting welcome to one of my favorite parts of any city.
I've been to the Village many times. I grew up in the New York area (just an hour-long train ride into Grand Central). Every time I go in, I try to see something new. This time was no different. I started the afternoon taking a tour via the Gray Line bus company (it's normally strictly for tourists) called the Heritage Tour. I saw an ad for it on TV back in January, on a trip to San Diego. It was $20, but well worth it. It was just me and the tour guide, romping through Mid-Town down Broadway. I was told so many neat historical facts that I will have ammunition for years. I'm strange like that.
My favorite characteristic of New York, specifically Manhattan, is its accessibility. My family is from the Boston area, which is where I was born, so I've always loved visiting Boston. It's a wonderful city in its own right, especially for walking, but getting there can be more of a pain than it should be. Sure, there are commuter rails and subways that take you in, but they are either too expensive or run too infrequently to make it worth it. So, a lot of people drive in. So, there are no parking spaces. It's more of a hassle than it should be.
New York is different. I live 15 minutes away from the Fairfield train station, in Connecticut. I can park there during the day and take any one of (just a guess) 20 trains into Grand Central. And that's just Fairfield. The Metro-North has trains that run to New Haven, Waterbury, and Danbury. Those branches are more limited, but they cover far more area than Boston's system. Never mind that there is a second Metro-North line that runs into New York State. Fares aren't exactly a steal, but at $10.75 one way from Fairfield, it's really worth it. Parking in New York is a battle in its own right.
It's a pretty simple system once you get used to it, but it's funny when people get confused. Here's a story from Friday night/Saturday morning:
I missed the 12:25AM train from Grand Central by about 3 minutes. So, I ended up taking the 1:12AM. No big deal. I found a copy of the New York Daily News in the Stationmaster's office to read. I got on the train early, found a seat, and settled in.
The train slowly began to fill, but it wasn't packed. It was mostly an older crowd, but no one was really past their late 50's. It was pretty quiet.
Then, as if on cue, two drunk, college-aged girls practically fall into two seats across the aisle from me. One of them was far drunker than the other, and was more than happy to let every one in the train car know that. Her friend wasn't quite so bad, but was still slightly annoying.
Once they sat down, the less-drunk one (I'll call her Shirley) said to more-drunk one (I'll call her Ashley, because I think her name was actually Ashley): "Well I guess we're going to Connecticut!"
Apparently they had actually planned on heading to Westchester, which is in New York State, which is on the Hudson Line of Metro-North. Instead of being constructive, Ashley simply shouted "What the fuck is in Connecticut?! Where is Connecticut?!" Mind you, she was asking a train car full of people who probably lived in Connecticut. Ashley then decided to continue insulting the state. No one helped her. It didn't help that she said "We don't even have subways in California!" and "I never thought I'd get wasted and get on a subway that went to a different state!" Charming girl, actually.
After a few minutes, the conductor came in to collect tickets. Shirley approached him when he came up to her and said "I think we're on the wrong train. We're trying to go to Westchester." Ashley chimed in with "Not Connecticut!" The conductor, who was fortunately in a decent mood, looked at her ticket and said "You did buy a ticket to New Haven." Shirley then went on with a story about how she asked "everyone" back at Grand Central what to do. She probably asked a homeless guy. Who knows. There are only two outgoing terminals she could have chosen for trains departing around that time. She ended up choosing the one that wasn't going to New York. Anyway, the conductor told them that all they had to do was get off at 125th Street (Harlem, baby!) and get on the next train outbound, which was heading to Westchester. Shirley then asked the guy about 50 times "Are you sure?" After re-assuring her all 50 times, he suggests to them that they wait by the door so they didn't miss the next stop. The entire car looked thankfully at the conductor for the suggestion.
I wonder if they made it. I guess I'll never know.
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