On The Train

When you take the train every morning you get to see the same people everyday. That could be good , that could be bad. I don't mind seeing friends on my way home from work , but when I am going to work in the morning it is just to early to say much more than "good morning". 

      Its always fun to see where everyone sits or stands on the train. It usually depends on what exit is closer to their optimal train station exit. Sometimes you even notice where it would be better for someone else to stand. There is one lady on my morning train who is like that. She always stays by the second  door exit in my car. She should really stand next to the third or fourth door. They would be closer to her subway station  exit.  She gets really uppity about where she likes to stand on the train as well . If you are in her way she pushes you. I always want to tell her that if she wanted to leave the car quicker she would use the other exit. But I don't tell her. I don't want to seem rude.

 When I was new to New York I used to always look around at people and wonder what their lives were like.  Now I am  less intrigued . I just hope the subway acrobats don't board my train and that a fat person does not sit next to me.  If only my train ride was boring. 

Once I was on a train minding my own business when suddenly this couple stood near me. It instantly smelled like a latrine. I thought that its a shame that young people are  not attending to hygiene anymore. When I glanced at the end of the car I realized where the odor was emanating from.  A homeless woman had just did her business all over herself and  her seat. It was repulsive. I regretted  thinking that  the teenagers had rank body odor. 

ows

recently i read in metro ny or am ny  that occupy wall street has people giving out free food to the "protesters" in zuccoti park , however they aren't so happy that the homeless have gotten word of this. the protesters are now going to scale back on the quality of their free food because the homeless have been consuming so much of their free food. something about this does not sit right with me. i'm not quite sure why....

sukkah city

there was a competition of 600 designers from 43 countries to design the best sukkah. a panel of judges decided on 12 sukkahs which were the finalists. these 12 sukkahs were on display today in union square in new york city. the public was invited  to view these sukkahs in union square and vote for the one sukkah that will be displayed in union square on sukkot this year.  people will bid on these sukkahs and the proceeds will go to the homeless in new york city.  this project is meant to be recreated globally so people can appreciate the beauty of a sukkah and what the holiday means. the center of architecture on la guardia place in nyc will house the other submissions to this contest beginning on the 22, which is erev sukkot. so most of us who will actually be celebrating the holiday wont be able to see it until after yom tov.
the display of sukkahs was as fascinating as the diversity of the crowd who came to see them. there were jews of all denominations as well as non-jews. this too was a purpose of this project. to bring people together.

many of the sukkahs weren't anywhere near being kosher, but i loved them all. who would have imagined a sukkah would turn into a symbol to combat homelessness and world hunger? very cool.
update : the second sukkah photo is from the winning sukkah. it is called   fractured bubble . this one will be on display in union square during sukkot.

UHO

when i was walking down fifth avenue today a black man approached me and asked me for tzedakah . yes, and he used the word tzedakah. then he said to me " come on, just put some money in the pushkah. its a mitzvah. its a mitzvah." i burst out laughing . it was the funniest thing ive ever heard. he was one of those dudes from the united homeless organization who position themselves all over manhattan with their plastic jugs that say UHO. as i was laughing the man continued to say that he does his research, he knows his people. i usually dont pay much attention to these beggars, but he was so original i just had to. i even gave him a dollar. i wish id taken his photo. too bad. even without a picture this episode is forever etched in my memory as one of those "only in new york" moments.