The Commute

I feel like I should write something about New York so far. You can't just up and move to New York and not write anything. I'm just trying to decide what's worthy of an entry.

Well, I've become a New York commuter. Except I do a commute that nobody in their right minds would do: Queens to Brooklyn. I have to be at work at 9:00. So I leave at 7:30. First day? I was half an hour late. Granted, it was because of random train delays and stops. But still. Anyway, I was pretty much on time the rest of the week. The subway is weird. It's incredibly boring and interesting all at once. I think that's what I'll talk about.

I say boring because there's so much waiting. And it's so dark. You're under ground. In other cities you might be driving or taking a bus to and from work. Both are outside, with the sun shining in and sights passing by. The subway is a little depressing in that way. But it's a great place to people-watch.

I've been serenaded four times on the subway, and heard one very long sob story (we're talking 2 stops worth of harships). I love the random music. There was one guy with a guitar, two mariachi bands (yes, I am just that lucky), and my favorite, an Alanis Morisette type. It seemed like the perfect location for acoustic Alanis-type music.

There have been some interesting people near me, too. One man was standing on a napkin. I didn't think he was aware at first, but then he moved. He realized the napkin was no longer under his shoe and made the extra effort to cover it. It went on like this for a while, and I never did figure out his reasoning.

One guy was reading a newspaper printed on light salmon-colored paper. I had never seen this before. I saw it later and read the title, the Financial Times.

Another was a couple who were playing a guessing game. He said, "Okay, you get three questions." I thought oh cute they're on their first date. Her first was, "Is it something I would wear?" Okay, so he bought something for her, and was letting her guess. What could I do but guess myself? I know this all sounds very intrusive, but you have to understand this train was extremely empty, and they were sitting next to me. Not using their six-inch voices. I'm pretty sure he bought her a necklace.

One day there was a hornet in the train. It only landed next to me once, but I was not a fan.

You should know, people in New York are so friendly. Don't let someone tell you otherwise. You can ask anyone a question and always get an answer. One lady (much older) even got off of the train and walked me to the right train. I understood where to go long before we got there, but she was just too sweet. New Yorkers are just more blunt sometimes, and maybe have shorter tempers. But they're humans, too, and chances are they know what it's like to be in your shoes. Whatever your problem, there's usually a helping hand.

Well, I have news. I found an apartment in Brooklyn! It's in this amazing brownstone in Park Slope, and I couldn't have found a better place. This is means I will no longer be such an avid commuter. Which is both good and bad news. My days will be both less boring and less interesting all at once. Less suits.