notes from the city

I had a surprising conversation with the other bike volunteers at recycle a bicycle yesterday. they were 2 guys, both lived in their city all their life. as i was discussing my x-country bike trip with them, they seemed unable to grasp why i thought meeting strangers was the greatest experience in the world. i said to them that people were so nice to us, and they gave us lots of free food, free shelter, free showers, and free laundry (but food is the most important part). one of them explained that he's encountered really nice people like that in the South, and he just got really weirded out, thinking: "whoa, why are they being so nice to me? is there an ulterior motive?" i grew up in the city, and i don't think like that. i think: FREE FOOD!

today i did the retarded thing of setting off the security alarm in my house. "shit, crap" i exclaimed, as the alarm blared across the neighborhood. the police called, and i embarrasingly muttered: "i'm sorry, i accidentily set off the alarm." (my facial expression of embarrassment was pretty great; luckily no one saw it.) then they asked their standard security questions, and i answered them compliantly . i suppose i simply need to get used to my house being a prison, but i don't think it will happen simply, or ever.

i was thoroughly impressed at the Subway inside the subway station at Rockefeller Center today. the space is rather small, just large enough to fit a long deli counter, a line of workers behind the counter, and a line of customers ordering on the other side. the line was out the door when i joined in, but WOW. there must have been twenty people in the line, and all twenty were out within 3 minutes. the first worker asked for your choice of bread and cheese. pretty much as soon as you were done answering, he had it done and asked the next customer. the second worker handled lettuce and tomatoes. the third worker handled the other condiments. the fourth handled the squirt bottles (mayo, dressing, vinegar). and the last was the cashier. Efficient is all i have to say.

i started on another book called Subwayland, a compilation of the articles that a New York Times columnist wrote about NYC subway life. It describes and tells the stories of people that contribute to our unique subway system: the regular commuters, the subway fanatics (aka buffs), the performers, the conductors, the emts, etc. the more i read, the more intrigued i am by the sheer diversity of people that make the nyc subway what it is. i am reminded once again about why i love living in NYC. (Seager and Ariel asked me repeatedly, how do you BEAR to live where there are so many people? and who all are rushing to go somewhere in suits and ties? and who don't ever stop to talk?)

New York City, my friends, is fascinating. look at the subway. The subway system is the most extensive in the nation. No where else do you get people who are so obsessed with the subway, they collect parts of subway trains, and put together their room like a conductor car. there are even kids who drag their parents to ride all over the place on the subway. and get this--there's a daycare inside the subway in Brooklyn. you would hardly notice the fact when you're inside the daycare, but there is only a small window wedged in an upper corner of the room where you can see trains pass. when the kids start to cry, they sit them on a table that looks out that window, and the kids calm down. watching the trains pass is mesmerizing. one of the kids saw a train stopped for a long time and blurted "its broke". i love that.