More Observations in NY

Rain continues to be a problem lately in New York. So much so that it disabled mass transit across the board one day. Most subway lines weren't running because of flooding, buses were running but had to take long detours around downed trees (a tornado touched down briefly in Brooklyn!) and trains weren't running due to flooding.

This of course caused a severe sardine effect on subways that were running and in turn caused a lot of people to be more growly than usual. Except, there was one lady that despite the fact that she was pregnant and no one bothered to offer her a seat, remained very nice and helpful. She first caught my attention when a man was looking for his wife on the crowded subway and she pointed out that his wife got a seat (oops...I thought later as I saw she was pregant, no wonder she noticed. But she wasn't grumpy about it, just trying to be helpful.)

Since I was caught in the middle and not quite within arms reach of a bar to hold onto I kind of bounced around like a pinball at each stop and start of the subway. She offered her arm to keep me steady.

As we got closer to Queens the subway started to empty and she found a seat. Across the way an older woman was asking a man whether the train she was on would get her to a certain stop. It was discovered she had missed the transfer she should have taken. Hearing this, the pregnant lady offered to get her to the right place as she was getting off at the next stop.

Her baby will certainly be filled with good karma.

This, in comparison to the fact that smiling seems to be a novelty around here. You don't dare smile randomly at someone or you may be accosted to give money or take a survey or worse. I didn't realize how much I was in the "non-smile" mode until I was hanging out with friends and spent a night laughing. My face actual reacted as if this was a foreign notion.

The worst is when you witness moments that make you want to laugh but you don't dare because you aren't even sure whether you are supposed to be witnessing it or not - on subways there are times that people still think they are in their own little bubble with phone conversations and what not, even though the proximity makes almost everyone around them witness to it.

One gal paced on a subway one early Saturday morn lamenting to her friend that the man she was dating was still in touch with his ex wife. Saying that she was afraid to say anything because after all, they had a kid together and had been together for over a decade, but still...it bothered her, ya know - even though it shouldn't. As she kept repeating how she wasn't bothered but clearly was, I thought...if you are that worried that mention of your concern is going to potentially end this relationship how worthy of a relationship is it?

The more children I see on subways, the more I think about how weird it would have been to grow up riding the subway - of course I wouldn't have known better, but it certainly would have changed my perspective on things. A child's eye view of some of the people I've encountered...well, one wonders how that affects a child.

One said kid took it upon themselves to wake the riders up one morning, shouting - Wake Up! to the riders nodding off and bumping heads across from him. When no reaction was given he shouted again! I bit the insides of my cheeks as these people continued to bob and smack heads as the child tried desperately to help them out.

Another child surprised me with manners better than most of the adult riders. He covered his mouth when he coughed. Now, mind you, if he handled a subway bar shortly after that all the germs were to go there but lets face it, the subway bars are covered with germs anyway - that's what sanitizer gel is for! ;)

The weather continues to be nearly as unpredictable as Nebraska's. As one day it could be horribly hot and humid and the next feel like fall. And the rain keeps coming.

Will be interested to see what Fall and Winter brings...