T'Was The Night Before

It's officially very cold outside.  I walk to the train station and see Mrs. H. near the entrance, grabbing a copy of AM New York.  Ariel F. is also at the entrance, just inside, speaking on her cell phone.

Past the tunnel Estie T. is buying a metrocard.  As I walk through the turnstile, Rebecca G. walks out and says hello.  She works at the nearby Yeshiva University.

On the platform, right at the bottom of the stairs, I see Sara S. She smiles.  It's her birthday today, and Sara looks like she is dressed to celebrate.  A black shirt, gray skirt, and sexy red scarf are immediately noticeable.  Her boots are black, with a furry trim at the top.

Someone is playing classical music further up on the platform, but Sara has been listening to "All Star" on her iPod.  We ride the train together, discussing everything from the trips to weddings to the meaning of life.

We switch to the D train at 59th and then get off at Rockefeller.  I walk to Milk and Honey to get a bagel, and on the corner of 5th I run into one of my neighbors.  I don't say hello, since I don't really know her, then make my way to Starbucks and finally to the office, the last day before the long weekend.

Oh Holy Smoke

The elevator smells like cigarette smoke. In all the years I've lived here that's never once happened and as far as I know, there isn't a single person in my building that smokes. I'm suspicious, but also very late, so my thoughts turn quickly towards getting to work as fast as possible.

The weather has warmed up a bit, and the rain has stopped. Mrs. H. is standing on the corner and waves as I walk briskly towards the station, treading on a freshly paved 186th street.

On the subway platform, I pass a girl I could swear was standing next to me at the Fine Frenzy concert last night. I reach my spot and Elvis Guy is there. Anyone who takes the A from 181st regularly has seen Elvis at one point or another. He is an elder gentleman with an unnatural, perpetually Presley hairdo and clothes to match.

Z. is also on the platform and we ride the train together, discussing work at first and then thirty-something single life in Washington Heights, two topics that together cover a large portion of my existence.

One Big Happy Family

Walking towards the train station, I see Mrs. H. talking to Gilit H. at the corner, near the Breuer’s elementary school. Walking behind me is the guy who works in my office building who’s name I don’t know. Aliza B. is also somewhere behind me.

I enter the station, and the smell of urine is a bit stronger than usual. The guy from my office passes me in the tunnel, and then I pass him back on the stairs, heading down to the platform.

The platform is replete with familiar faces. David M. is standing close to the edge, looking out for the next train, and Caryn L. is sitting on one of the benches. Benny S. is talking to a girl; I can’t quite make out who she is. When the train arrives they board the same car as I do, as does Lisa K. I disappear to the corner and watch TV on my phone.