Just in time for my big move back to the hood (aka Ridgewood, Queens), the Straphangers ranked the L train the #1 train in the NYC subway system. Who the hell would have ever thought?!? Sadly, my beloved M train came in at a disappointing #11, but honestly, who cares about the M these days. It doesn't even run all the way into the city on the weekends and the L train is always a quick walk away from just about anywhere in Ridgewood. Why trust the M when you can trust your feet?
Anyway, let's just talk a little bit about how excited I am to be back on the L train. Now, many of you Williamsburg and "East Williamsburg" residents may be staring at the screen (like anyone is even reading this?) with baffled faces. "Is this girl delusional? The L train sucks! Forget ever getting a seat! And—oh, man—on the weekends?! You've gotta be kidding me, you crazy freak!!" But alas, let me elaborate on the future joys of living in Ridgewood and working off of 6th Avenue.
The first part, you see, means that I get a seat before the majority of L train commuters get on the train. And the second means that, coming home, I'm on that bad boy before it gets to crazy & wild union square. Worst-case scenario, I just hop on the other way one stop and am guaranteed a sweet seat. And wow, has the L train stepped up its game. 15-20 mins to Myrtle-Wyckoff! What the hell was I thinking when I moved to Kew Gardens.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
the train to nowhere.
Yea, yea, it's been awhile. Sorry, loyal readers. All 0.7 of you. But if you'd like to see a legitimate excuse for my absence, you can check out the blog I've been updating regularly every day for the past week for my class on writing & editing for the web here. The assignment ends tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be back here more often—though I plan on sticking with that bad boy too.
Anyway, yesterday, when, might I add, it was 3217897 degrees and obscenely humid out, I decide to take a quick evening trip to the mall. Let me start off by saying the mall is about a 10 to 12-minute train ride from my apartment, including the wait at 71st/Continental for the local train—as long as everything is on time.
So I go to the mall, make my purchase, skedaddle on out, and hope to be back home within 15 minutes, but lo and behold—there are NO TRAINS running toward Jamaica/Union Tpke. W-T-F. So I have to take the train to Roosevelt, then switch across the platform for an express going the opposite way. Luckily, I had the ice from a passion iced tea to keep me cool on the sweltering platform. Or so I thought. Until the train took 15 f'ing minutes to come. Which feels more like 500 minutes when it's 110 degrees (literally, I'd assume) in the station.
THEN, it lingers at the next stop for 5 minutes, opening & closing the doors for about 5 minutes. Again, this feels like an hour. Thank god the express train was on its way when I crossed over the platform. All in all, it took me close to 40 minutes, door to door, to return home from the goddamn mall. I know it was a Sunday, but...really? This is why I want to move to London.
Despite this horrific experience, there is a cute story that came out of it that I wanted to share. So, the train pulls up to the Grand Ave. station, and two elderly men with bags board the car. These men were not together. Some young guy gives up his seat so one of the elderly men could sit, but as soon as the elderly guy puts his butt down, he notices the other man with bags, and offers HIS seat to him. How cute is that?! The elderly man standing signaled that he didn't want to sit, and there was brief "are you sure?" "yes, don't worry" type of exchange that followed. What's funny is that the guy sitting totally had more bags than the one he was offering the seat to, and they both looked about the same age. What a nice little group.
Oh, and now i have a bad-ass leather jacket for the fall. So I guess it wasn't such a bad night after all.
Anyway, yesterday, when, might I add, it was 3217897 degrees and obscenely humid out, I decide to take a quick evening trip to the mall. Let me start off by saying the mall is about a 10 to 12-minute train ride from my apartment, including the wait at 71st/Continental for the local train—as long as everything is on time.
So I go to the mall, make my purchase, skedaddle on out, and hope to be back home within 15 minutes, but lo and behold—there are NO TRAINS running toward Jamaica/Union Tpke. W-T-F. So I have to take the train to Roosevelt, then switch across the platform for an express going the opposite way. Luckily, I had the ice from a passion iced tea to keep me cool on the sweltering platform. Or so I thought. Until the train took 15 f'ing minutes to come. Which feels more like 500 minutes when it's 110 degrees (literally, I'd assume) in the station.
THEN, it lingers at the next stop for 5 minutes, opening & closing the doors for about 5 minutes. Again, this feels like an hour. Thank god the express train was on its way when I crossed over the platform. All in all, it took me close to 40 minutes, door to door, to return home from the goddamn mall. I know it was a Sunday, but...really? This is why I want to move to London.
Despite this horrific experience, there is a cute story that came out of it that I wanted to share. So, the train pulls up to the Grand Ave. station, and two elderly men with bags board the car. These men were not together. Some young guy gives up his seat so one of the elderly men could sit, but as soon as the elderly guy puts his butt down, he notices the other man with bags, and offers HIS seat to him. How cute is that?! The elderly man standing signaled that he didn't want to sit, and there was brief "are you sure?" "yes, don't worry" type of exchange that followed. What's funny is that the guy sitting totally had more bags than the one he was offering the seat to, and they both looked about the same age. What a nice little group.
Oh, and now i have a bad-ass leather jacket for the fall. So I guess it wasn't such a bad night after all.
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