Sunday, January 31, 2010

Welcome Back to New York

Today was my first Sunday back on the Island. Let me tell you how I know that I am back.

I had a meeting this evening at 6. To get there on time, I left at 5 to get up to the Lincoln Square church/temple building on 66th street.

The reason I left a whole hour early is this: The trains mess with your mind on the weekends. Sometimes, trains don't run, or run on a different track, or pass by a stop completely. I thought I was ok because I knew that this weekend, the 66th uptown subway stop was closed. To get to 66th by traveling uptown (since I live downtown, I have to travel on the uptown trains to get up-town), you have to take the train up to 72nd street, transfer to the 1 train downtown one stop to  the 66th street downtown subway stop (is this even making sense??).

The 1 train is a local train that hits all the stops. The 2/3 train is an express train that hits only some of the stops while passing by many of the stops in between. In short, taking the 1 to 72nd street is longer than taking the 2/3 to 72nd then switching to the 1 downtown as previously mentioned.

So, let's start at the beginning:
5pm- leave to catch the 1 train.
5:06 pm- arrive at the 1 uptown subway stop.
5:15 pm- 1 uptown train still hasn't arrived...bovered.
5:18 pm- 1 uptown train arrives. I can make it to the meeting in 40 mins. This could work.
5: 24 pm- 1 uptown train arrives at Chambers Street stop. This is where I catch the 2/3 express uptown train so that I can get to 72nd street faster. Exit 1 train at Chambers street.
5:30 pm- Still waiting on platform for the 2/3 train to arrive. Wow. This train is seriously express. NOT.
5:35 pm- Wow. Here is the 2/3 train, creeping up to the platform. Awesome. Get on 2/3 train.
5:35-5:50 pm- Ride 2/3 train all the way to 72nd street stop. This is the slowest express train I have ever been on. I could have run up to 72nd street from the STATUE OF LIBERTY faster.
5:50 pm- Exit 2/3 train at 72nd street. Run upstairs, across the way, run downstairs to downtown platform. (this is where I have to catch the 1 train back downtown one stop to get to 66th street). DANG!!! There goes the 1 train, sailing right on past the platform. Missed it.
5:55 pm- Weird guy asks me if I am waiting to get on the 1 train. (When I said yes, he smiled. Probably because he was a psychic and could see what was going to happen next.)
6:00 pm- My meeting is starting! That's ok, I can be a few minutes late. It was probably faster to just walk from 72nd street to 66th street. Oh well.
6:10 pm- Still waiting....
6:13 pm- Oh look! Here is the 1 train!! Yay! I am finally going to get to my meeting! Enter the 1 train (LOCAL train--you know, the one that makes ALL the stops??)
6:15 pm- Sail past 66th street stop. Shoot.
6:16 pm- Sail past 59th street stop. Uh-oh.
6:16-6:20 pm- Stuck on the non-moving 1 downtown train that just past the stop I need. Now I can't even get the train to move down to 42nd street (Times Square) so that I can ask Emily, who is at the meeting, to take notes for me as I will obviously not be attending.
6:22 pm- Get off at 42nd street to make a few calls, Emily will take notes (what a wonderful girl!!)
6:25 pm- Get back on the train to make my way home. (Ok, cool. Now the express train decides to really be express and not molasses-fast.)
6:35 pm- Almost at Rector Street station, my home stop (there's no place like home, there's no place like home...).
6:40 pm- Arrive home after a long evening of trains that mess with my mind.

Fun night, right?? Right. That's how the Island welcomes me back! Thanks, it's good to be back:) Just you try to kick me off the Island stupid trains!! Just try...

~xx

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