Farewell and Goodbye

Aliza G. is meeting me downstairs. We‘re both running late, and she phones to tell me she can’t wait too long, but I get there before she leaves. The two of us walk and talk. On Overlook I spot Esther A. in the distance, then see Yosef M. as well.

In the tunnel, Aliza says hello to someone I don’t recognize. We reach the platform and Avi H. walks by, then Sara S. emerges from the top of the stairs. Aliza says hello to another passerby just as the train arrives. I run in and save a row of benches so that Aliza and Sara and I can all sit together. Aliza stays behind as Sara and I get off at Columbus Circle. We switch to the Orange line and take that to Rockefeller Center, where she enters her building through an underground tunnel and I walk out onto 48th street.

Sometimes, I do odd things. For the past 365 days I have kept a running blog of every single train I have ridden to work. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it, but now it’s time to move on to something else. Thank you to the dear friends who encouraged me and sent me bits of fan mail. To the rest you, you can stop running the other away when you see me in the morning.

Starting Out

Inspired mostly by friend Rebecca's new blog "What Rebecca Ate For Lunch Today," I've decided to give this thing a go. I won't lie, it's going to be brutally honest. No holds barred, so if you see me in the morning and steer clear I'll understand. As an alternative, though, please consider asking me to photograph those sexy new boots and show them to the world.

It's 9:00 AM or so, I'm running late and Lily Allen is playing on my Blackberry as I walk to the A. On my left, across the street, I see Adi G. teaching Yosefa S. how to ride a bicycle. It's odd behavior so early in the morning. Only one of them is wearing a helmet and watching them I wonder if that's intelligent. I don't say hi.

Into the station, through the turnstile, and there is Michal B. What's really bizarre is that she's just gotten off the uptown train. I'm sorry to startle her when I run up behind and ask, but I just have to. Turns out she's just back to town and is heading in from the airport. I wonder how she can travel so lightly and wish her a good day, then wander down the steps.

Esther B. is near the bottom of the stairs, at the back of the station, but I need to head towards the front and don't want to double back. Besides, "It's Not Fair" has just started and I hate to interrupt before the line about the wet patch.

There's no one I recognize in the train car. Next to me is a chubby Latina with large pimples and giant earrings to match. On the other side is a 30-something Asian man and immediately I notice that he has more hair than me, despite his thumb ring. Meanwhile, a large special-needs teen is kissing his father much too erotically to keep the rest of us relaxed. A short woman across the way gives me the nod that says "yes, I'm uncomfortable too."

Down to 59th and on the platform I see Benny S. and wave to him. He's the newest member of my new Friday night group. Tzivia H. is here too but she's either completely absorbed by the molecular structure of train-track alloy or is just avoiding eye contact. I wizz by and think about her unique ability to instantly calculate the square root of just about any number shy of an octillion (10²⁷⁾.

There's more, though the rest is no longer the trip to work. I meet Sara S. for lunch and on the way home Zehava K. is with me for most of the ride. We chat about our upcoming trip to Chicago and getting off we see Yehuda B. who is rushing so he can go biking. Yosef W. whirls by and says hello as the three of us make our way towards Bennett.