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. 

public transportation

once again i have experienced mr. toad's wild ride upon the q train  this evening. i'm still reeling. how i long for an eight o'clock subway ride home that is peaceful.
i boarded the train this evening at seven-thirty  after waiting for ten minutes for the train to come. i got a seat. some crazy woman hovered over me and pushed  me as she was standing in front of my seat. its times like these that i wish i was six feet tall and three hundred pounds. if i was that large this lunatic would not have wanted to stand anywhere near me.

at some point a very disheveled sixtyish man sat down on the floor near me and i offered him my seat. of course the loony woman moved , as well as the other few people who were standing near where i had been sitting. note to self,  dress more disheveled on the train, you will then have room to sit.
fortunately when i was standing there was a lot more space than when i had been sitting and i finally got another seat when i was three stops from home.
the only good part of the ride was that it was too crowded for the acrobats to do their routine on my train.
i really have to find a job that is walking distance from my home. riding the trains is for the birds.

mehadrin buses

at the jewish film festival ther was a documentary called the black bus which is about two young women in their twenties who grew up chassidish  and later became secular jews. the documentary itself was lukewarm. it didnt tell  enough about each woman's personal journey away from frumkeit. it was almost as if we should assume that it was an obvious choice. they did however feature the mehadrin buses in israel which i found most captivating.
when i was  in israel last there were not any mehadrin buses.  ive wondered what they were like.
after seeing them all i can say is that i am so happy that they did not exist when i was in israel.
i think there is something horrible about having to board from the back of the bus. i suppose the only good thing is that if i rode one of those buses i would never have to pay . they have a hole puncher at the back of the bus so women can punch their own bus passes. yeah...right....
what i want to know is what happens if a woman is riding a bus and doesnt know the neighborhood one is going to. usually when this happens i like to sit in the front of the bus so i can ask the bus driver where i should get off. even if it would be permissable to go to the front of the bus to ask the bus driver i would be a little embarrassed to have to walk through a crowd of only men to go to the front of the bus to ask the driver directions.
i know from past experience on the now revamped monsey bus ( as in the mechitzah rule has been relaxed. ) that when there weren't enough seats for the women and children the men wouldn't move the mechitzah over so the women could  sit even if there was room.  however at least that bus was split down the middle . i guess that bus company was more concerned about collecting their fares.
i think that segregating buses by gender is demeaning. it also is bad if one is on a date or out with a spouse or ones family. i suppose the women always end up saddled with all of the kids while the husbands sit and relax at the front of these buses.
it is true that having segregated buses help the anti negiah issue because i remember how pushy the israelis were when boarding buses.  instead of making sure people have derech eretz on buses and not pushing other passengers they decided that it would be easier to create a mehadrin bus.
before gender segregation on israeli buses charedi or chassidic men would not sit next to women on buses and if a woman sat next to them they would get up. i guess they now would rather have a seat than get up when occasionally a woman sits next to them. after all there may not be another appropriate seat to switch to if you have to get up.
the other thing that used to happen on israeli buses before gender separation was the unmentionable. young yeshiva bachrim would stand way too close to women and.....well let me say you would have to get up and get away from them. so i guess now they cant do this to women on the buses anymore. the only place id seen this happen was in israel with yeshiva bachrim. i have not seen that on the nyc buses or subways. ive seen other very gross happenings  on nyc buses and subways but just not that one. so yes, i guess it would be better to  ride a mehadrin bus in israel so that  you would not have to encounter that.

snow day

new york city has been hit by 2 feet of snow. its so bad that none of the subway trains are running and they actually announced it on the radio and it was actually posted on the new york transit authority's website. usually the new york transit authority website lies and says the trains are running but they really are not. this time they were truthful. it was that bad.
i grew up in the the midwest  and we didnt even drive in this kind of weather because its that bad.
stay warm everybody and don't be dumb enough to go out in the snow until the trains are running and the roads are clear.

vintage trains

all through december at specified times on sundays the m train has been running vintage subway trains courtesy of the new york transit museum. yesterday i rode the vintage train from second avenue on the lower east side  to queens plaza. it was so much fun. as wretched as the trains are in 2010 they are still way better than they were seventy years ago!

the vintage train i rode yesterday was a mishmash of train cars from the thirties to the sixties all connected to form one short train. there were also people dressed up to be 1940's era passengers . even the conductor was wearing a vintage conductor's outfit.
the subway cars had vintage ads on them that were awfully fun to read as well.

the new york transit museum normally houses this and many other vintage subway trains. what makes this event unique is that one is able to actually ride a vintage train.

the last vintage subway jaunt will be next sunday. if you are in nyc check it out. if not there is always next year....!

don't let the bedbugs bite!

when i came to new york my biggest fear was going on the subway and picking up head lice. b"h that has not happened . now the biggest fear amongst my friends is bedbugs. some even go so far as to say that they will only go to the movie theater if they sit on a plastic bag. what about the subway? will they sit on a plastic bag when they go on the subway? what about restaurants? will they sit on a plastic bag at a restaurant?
i work in a public place and i dont have a plastic bag attached to my backside for when i decide to sit down (which isn't often because i mostly stand at work , but this is besides the point) . lol. i sit down on my seat at the movies sans plastic bag as well. bedbugs and head lice be damned.
bedbugs aren't cancer and they aren't aids !!! bedbugs are a nuisance and i certainly don't want any but im not going to let the mere thought of one ruin my life.

major construction

for the past few years there has been major construction at the midwood q train stations. one construction worker was actually killed at one of the stations during this construction period. passengers whose usual subway stop is avenue h or avenue m have had to backtrack on their way home from manhattan. this week brooklyn bound service for the avenue h and avenue m stations have resumed. the threat of the shutting down of the manhattan bound sides of these stations is looming in the not too distant future. no signs have yet  been posted, but this threat hangs heavy in the air. many will defect to the f train during this construction period not wanting to backtrack every morning on their way to work.
though the avenue j station has remained open on both sides  of the station, it too has been ruined during the current state of construction. when one exits the train there are MANY more steps then there used to be pre construction. it is very secluded on the brooklyn bound subway exit. very dangerous for woman subway riders exiting the station alone.
i cant wait until all of this subway constuction ends and my commute is back to its usual normal.

pet peeves

one of my biggest pet peeves occurs  at sinks that are  located in  public restrooms. it bugs the heck out of me when someone washes their hands at a sink and then lifts their hands and shakes off the water before drying them. invariably i am the one who gets their post hand washing water on me after their big shake. i don't want to be included in their hand washing. if you have to do the wet hand shake keep your hands low in the sink when you do it so you don't splash anyone!
another pet peeve of mine happens (big surprise!) on the subway . the new subway cars are one long bench instead of having indentations  that separate the benches into separate seats. many people didn't like the old benches because some people were too fat for them . i say lose some weight! with these new benches there is always some joker trying to put her purse between you and them when you are sitting next to them. it wouldn't be so bad if there was a lot of room. but usually it means that there is less room and you get to squeeze against them and their bag . if they didn't put it there you would have a comfortable amount of space to sit and it wouldn't be big enough for  another person to squeeze between the two of  you.

has anybody seen my hat?

the other day i was on the train and accidentally lost my hat. usually i take my hat off when i get on the train because its too darn warm and i put my hat in my backpack. on this particular day i was waayyyy too tired to do so. at some point i dropped my hat never to be seen again.
the thing that gets me is that whenever i notice that someone has dropped something on the train i tell them. in my case, no one did. perhaps no one noticed, perhaps someone noticed. ill never know. all i do know is that i lost my beloved crocheted hat that i made with my very own hands.
luckily i still had some red and white yarn sitting around, and whipped up a near identical hat.
why am i so upset? ill tell you why im so upset. i lost a hat i created and i wonder where it has gone. is someone else wearing it? did someone throw it out? did it totally get trampled? so many unanswered questions.
alas, i am glad i was able to crochet another red and white hat, but i really dug the old one and wish it was still in my possession!

keeping things in perspective

i grew up in a city where there was not accessible public transportation . the nearest bus stop was two miles away. when i arrived in new york the subway cars reminded me of old holocaust pictures. aside from the visual resemblance there is also the smellivsion resemblance... the homeless.
when i first saw a homeless person i was knocked out by the stench. i didnt think much about it except for how gross i thought it was.
years later while again free associating my subway experience to shoah cattle cars i came to another holocaust synonym. during the holocaust the jewish people in the ghetto must not have bathed often. they must have smelled as vile as vagrants. even if they were able to escape the ghettos it would have been hard to mask the odor.
consequently these thoughts help me have more sympathy for the homeless.

sleep like a baby

as neurotic as am i often fall asleep on the subway on my way home from work . one of my co-workers says that the best sleep she gets is on the train.
once when i was on a train i briefly opened my eyes and noticed that everyone else was napping.
though i usually dont miss my stop if i nod off, occasionally i do. thats the worst. not only do i miss the stop, but i feel really groggy.
fortunately im not a restless subway sleeper, otherwise i would be finding my head on someone elses shoulder as i nap. very embarrassing. bubba might not like that.
i have found other subway sleepers heads on my shoulder. i usually wake them up and hope they dont have head lice.

can i have a ride?

since purim is upon us and purim is a social time, i thought it would be a good time to post about this. the ride schnorrers. please note that i do not own a car.
whenever i go to a party, simcha etc, there is always the issue of transportation. i am always game for public transportation, but sometimes things end late, but i still would like to attend, so there is always that issue of how im going to get home. usually i make sure to go with someone else who if worse comes to worse ill take the train with home if i cant find a ride. or i leave early enough so its not a big deal to take the train alone.
its not such a big deal to take the train home if im going to the city , but if its new jersey or long island, sometimes its really impossible to get home without a ride, and i dont always know anyone with a car to give me a ride. in this case its tougher. im forced to ask people i dont know well for a ride either one or both ways. sometimes its not a big deal, because i live in apartment building with alot of social individuals and if i ask one of them for a ride , even if i dont know them well, im not asking them to go out of their way. i still feel a little bad because i dont have a car and cant reciprocate.
sometimes ive encountered people who are fed up about giving others rides. i understand. those with cars always are asked to give rides . sometimes it could be overwhelming, especially since sometimes the only reason some people chat them up is to get a ride. i truly appreciate those who have been kind enough to give me rides over the years.
i have offered to pay for tolls and gas as a passenger especially when ive gotten a ride from someone i dont know well.
i know that the answer is to get a car, but i really cant afford one. its difficult to find parking near my home. even with a car, if i got home late i may have a sizable walk from a parking space , so id still prefer a taxi ride over driving my own car late at night.
sometimes i actually prefer public transportation to a ride. some people drive so poorly i would prefer to take the subway.

seatless subway cars

i heard the most awful news a few days ago. i heard that they want to eliminate seats in subway cars during rush hour. they will make folding seats in the train and lock them during rush hour so no one can sit. i stand all day at work, so at the end of the day i am so tired i must sit. they say that only 4 out of 10 cars will be this way, but it stinks. in the current new subway cars there are less seats and less bars to hold on to . a few days ago i noticed that there is a bar on the ceiling for people to hold on to. well im 5 ft tall. i cant reach that. i think that people will start bringing portable seats or start sitting on the floor if this plan really goes in to effect. it seems so third world.

the thought of even more people on a rush hour subway car is frightening. more weirdos pressed against you. the current new subways have spaces in the front of some of the cars that are seatless with little place to hold on. whenever im on a crowded car my only solace is of the possibility of getting a seat. if the train is crowded the only place to be is sitting, otherwise its too claustrophobic. i have an hour commute. its really tough to have to stand the whole way. i think that if this is the wave of the future i may end up shelling out the extra dough for the express bus.

my question of course is what time of the day will be considered rush hour.... ?

i usually go to work at odd hours and avoid trains during rush hour.

seatless train rides would deter me from going to the city other than for work. the idea of standing an hour to get there and not being able to comfortably read a book or crochet is despicable. this is something that would make me leave the tri-state area.

i think that if there was a terrorist attack on the subway they would get to kill more people this way, and make it much harder to evacuate.

it seems so barbaric not to have seats on the subway.

noise pollution

on my train ride home tonight i was treated to an assault of my eardrums by 4 pro-obama african american youths. the youths were rapping at the top of their lungs how happy they were that their homey won. when asked to hold it down 10 decibels , they decided to get even louder. if this is what the next 4 years look like... im going to have to invest in state of the art earplugs.

more subway madness

being one who likes the comfort of continuity, its sometimes jarring when change occurs. more specifically jarring is when this change occurs on the new york subway system. i do not appreciate the new trains on the Q line. i never liked the design of the 4,5 and 6 trains, and i like it even less on a train i have to ride daily.
the new Q train looks like the 4, 5 and 6 trains. there are long benches on either sides of the subway cars. i like the current design of of the orange seats that have seat divisions. its easier to anchor ones self during turbulence on the orange seated trains. i find myself sliding uncontrollably on the newer long bench version.
the new trains dare to have a digital display of the upcoming train stops. the problem is whoever has devised these displays hasnt yet learned the train routes . i was on the train today when the digital display said we were going to be stopping at grand street, a station that the Q train never stops at. lo and behold the announcer announces that we will be stopping at grand street next. next thing we know, we are at canal street. the stop that were actually supposed to be stopping at. they actually tried to fix the digital display which next announced that we would be stopping at ocean parkway in brooklyn instead of the real next stop that was union square. they tried to correct themselves by next announcing that we would be stopping at w. 8th st, also in brooklyn! as we were pulling in to the station the conductor finally announced that we had reached union square. so much for technology!!
i do admit that i never laughed more during a morning commute, but i would prefer less drama. the mta can convert these new trains in to much needed homeless shelters and we can keep the current/older train design.

the green-eyed monster

today was just one of those days when the green eyed monster got the better of me. when i was on the subway today all i noticed were mothers with little children. some of the cutest little children. it made me so sad. im in a dating drought and these women have little children. yes, i know that life isnt fair. since the new york subways have such a diverse ridership, i would venture to say that quite a few were unmarried moms. the green eyed monster reared her ugly head nonetheless. i know that life isnt fair, but sometimes its hard to deal.

knit (or crochet) for peace

there's a book ive glanced at several times at barnes and noble called knitting for peace. it lists charitable organizations one can knit for. its includes knitting for soldiers. its a cute book. being more of a crocheter than a knitter,i did not read the whole book. i think that the concept is more true than one might expect. but not for the reasons the book knitting for peace had intended. i often crochet on the train. you would not believe how many people of all ethnic backgrounds and economic backgrounds start talking to you. they ask you about what you are making. how long you have been crocheting.they share anecdotes about their own projects. i genuinely enjoy chatting with diverse sorts of individuals. i find it enriches my life. once i was on the train and this woman who i thought was from india started chatting with me about my crochet project and telling me how her mother used to crochet lace. at some point during the conversation she turned to her right and started speaking to her friend who was wearing a burka about my project. then continued speaking to me. more women than men approach me while im crocheting , but sometimes men are intrigued and start chatting about it. the cutest observers are little kids who become mesmorized by the repetitive motion of my crochet hook . it brings people together in a quiet way. a non-political way. people who might never have reason to interact. i enjoy crocheting for the social interactions it creates, just as much as for the craft itself. and through these seemingly mundane social yarns a more peaceful world can be created.

its purim every day on ny subways....

the only subway system i have had experience with is that of the ny subway system. and what a wild ride it has been. for 2 dollars a ride or whatever it is these days ( i have an unlimited ride metro card for 81 dollars a month and the rates have changed recently) you will not lack for live entertainment. wanted or not. nothing like being on your way home from work, feeling like every bone in your body aches , just wanting some peace and quiet, and "bANG" they invade. the subway performer. you try to ignore them and read your book but it is impossible. they are just so loud that the noise goes through you. and you cant get up and change cars because you would have to give up your coveted seat .which is worth more to you than peace and quiet on a subway car. so you dont change cars. and you hope that the performer is someone who will quickly change cars after imposing their invasive shpiel. you hope its not a subway preacher rambling on about jews and non-jews with a voice that gradually rises to a crescendo as she speaks. you hope its not an alleged homeless subway parent doing a song and dance act with their kids. you hope not to get hit in the head when they do their somersaults. you hope there aren't any elderly missionaries on board . especially none that were born jewish. and now are not. or women on board who look straight ahead and say "i dont know why people say im a woman when im really a man". or someone from the united homeless organization reminding one to go home and thank g-d one has a home. and if one decides not to donate at least to give a smile....there's a purim shpiel everyday on the new york subways....