Sunday Night Subway Ride
If you always sit or walk with your mouth shut and eyes straight ahead or head buried in a book, you’ll miss one of the best things about New York: the quirks and idiosyncrasies. One of the best sources for these is the people.
I was riding home on the subway from the movies last night with Derek. It was a quiet ride at first. Being that it was so damn hot in the subway station, it was refreshing to get on to the subway car and sit down in the cold (imagine that!). A conductor emerged from behind the sliding door with a cool and coy smile on his face.
One of a pair of young girls asked, “Are you the one talking?” The man smiled and nodded. We had clearly walked in on some sort of joke or something because the girls had big smiles on their faces, along with a handful of other passengers.
The toasty tanned and slightly sunburned girl said, “You’re funny.”
The girl she was with was smiling and laughing, too, but clearly wasn’t as outspoken as her counterpart.
The man thanked her and said, “Looks like someone got too much sun today.”
The girl put her hands to her cheeks and retorted, “I’m actually blushing for some reason” as her band-aid ridden feet played with her sandals.
I couldn’t help myself, I laughed out loud, it was so adolescent and yet the girl was clearly too old for all of that.
“Now it’s my turn.” The conductor said as we all looked up and saw the large man’s face turn a deep shade of crimson.
I laughed out loud a second time, this time Derek joined me and so did a few of the passengers including the two girls.
The man disappeared behind his sliding door as the train approached a station.
“This station is Lawrence Street Metrotech. Transfer for the M train. Remember passengers, turn that frown upside down! Smiling burns more calories than frowning!”
Our fellow passengers giggled, as did we. The man reemerged after the station stop.
“We’re just wondering what you’re going to say at our stop,” the outspoken girl said.
“What’s your stop?”
“Union Street.” I tapped Derek, as this was our stop, as well.
“I know something about Union Street. It’s between 6th and 7th Avenues.”
Everyone looked slightly confused and suddenly I remembered something. I had been on a train about 9 months earlier approaching Union Street when a jovial conductor announced that it was the home of Brooklyn Fire House # 1. I remember telling Derek how funny and nice it was to have an informative conductor. It was like being on a tour. It made me smile because it just makes the ride home nicer when you have someone like that announcing funny little facts about the otherwise mundane station stops that you hear everyday.
“The firehouse!” I said. I immediately felt like a dork, so I further explained, “I’ve been on one of your trains before.” People started laughing again, including Derek and I. The girls pointed at me in a “see we told you” type way and laughed along with us.
“Correct!” Then he went on to explain how the firehouse on Union Street between 6th and 7th Avenues was the first to use “squads”. I can’t remember all of the specifics, but it was in fact that same information I had heard 9 months earlier. He told about friends he had at that firehouse and how 11 of them had perished on 9/11. Suddenly, people who were quiet earlier were joining in the conversation.
An older man dressed in a black suit that was busting at the seams spoke up, “I was on a train at Cortlandt Street that morning. Right when the towers fell. I got off the train and there was smoke and fire in the station. The conductor’s were screaming at us to get back on the train. I did and we took off.”
The conductor suddenly remembered his conducting duties and excused himself while he closed the sliding door once again.
“Union Street. Transfer for the M train. Home of Brooklyn Firehouse # 1…” I didn’t hear everything because we were getting up to get off. As we passed the small open window on the outside of the train we all waved to the conductor.
As Derek and I were walking up the stairs to 4th Avenue I said, “I know what I’m writing in my blog tomorrow.”
I was riding home on the subway from the movies last night with Derek. It was a quiet ride at first. Being that it was so damn hot in the subway station, it was refreshing to get on to the subway car and sit down in the cold (imagine that!). A conductor emerged from behind the sliding door with a cool and coy smile on his face.
One of a pair of young girls asked, “Are you the one talking?” The man smiled and nodded. We had clearly walked in on some sort of joke or something because the girls had big smiles on their faces, along with a handful of other passengers.
The toasty tanned and slightly sunburned girl said, “You’re funny.”
The girl she was with was smiling and laughing, too, but clearly wasn’t as outspoken as her counterpart.
The man thanked her and said, “Looks like someone got too much sun today.”
The girl put her hands to her cheeks and retorted, “I’m actually blushing for some reason” as her band-aid ridden feet played with her sandals.
I couldn’t help myself, I laughed out loud, it was so adolescent and yet the girl was clearly too old for all of that.
“Now it’s my turn.” The conductor said as we all looked up and saw the large man’s face turn a deep shade of crimson.
I laughed out loud a second time, this time Derek joined me and so did a few of the passengers including the two girls.
The man disappeared behind his sliding door as the train approached a station.
“This station is Lawrence Street Metrotech. Transfer for the M train. Remember passengers, turn that frown upside down! Smiling burns more calories than frowning!”
Our fellow passengers giggled, as did we. The man reemerged after the station stop.
“We’re just wondering what you’re going to say at our stop,” the outspoken girl said.
“What’s your stop?”
“Union Street.” I tapped Derek, as this was our stop, as well.
“I know something about Union Street. It’s between 6th and 7th Avenues.”
Everyone looked slightly confused and suddenly I remembered something. I had been on a train about 9 months earlier approaching Union Street when a jovial conductor announced that it was the home of Brooklyn Fire House # 1. I remember telling Derek how funny and nice it was to have an informative conductor. It was like being on a tour. It made me smile because it just makes the ride home nicer when you have someone like that announcing funny little facts about the otherwise mundane station stops that you hear everyday.
“The firehouse!” I said. I immediately felt like a dork, so I further explained, “I’ve been on one of your trains before.” People started laughing again, including Derek and I. The girls pointed at me in a “see we told you” type way and laughed along with us.
“Correct!” Then he went on to explain how the firehouse on Union Street between 6th and 7th Avenues was the first to use “squads”. I can’t remember all of the specifics, but it was in fact that same information I had heard 9 months earlier. He told about friends he had at that firehouse and how 11 of them had perished on 9/11. Suddenly, people who were quiet earlier were joining in the conversation.
An older man dressed in a black suit that was busting at the seams spoke up, “I was on a train at Cortlandt Street that morning. Right when the towers fell. I got off the train and there was smoke and fire in the station. The conductor’s were screaming at us to get back on the train. I did and we took off.”
The conductor suddenly remembered his conducting duties and excused himself while he closed the sliding door once again.
“Union Street. Transfer for the M train. Home of Brooklyn Firehouse # 1…” I didn’t hear everything because we were getting up to get off. As we passed the small open window on the outside of the train we all waved to the conductor.
As Derek and I were walking up the stairs to 4th Avenue I said, “I know what I’m writing in my blog tomorrow.”
posted by Kris @ 2:42 PM
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