Tales From the Trip Home

Went to Bronwen's Folks' for holidaze...nothin' fascinating happened there, but the trip home was "fun" -

Sweating the Small Stuff

The train coming back to NY was crowded. They kept announcing to put all bags and other personal belongings on the overhead racks or below your seat. Naturally, I did, and a man sat next to me.

I noticed the person on the other side of the aisle, a slight middle-aged woman who spent her time knitting, didn't. That annoyed me. And due to her bag on the seat, no one ever asked her if anyone was sitting there. Every time they made that same announcement, I looked over at her, and of course, she just kept on knitting. How freakin' rude, some people think they own the place, I thought. Probably some rich women who didn't think rules applied to her.

Eventually, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I took my knapsack from beneath my seat, excused myself from my row and walked towards the front of the train. I circled back and asked the knitter if I could sit there. Without saying a word, she took her bag off the seat and let me sit. I felt better knowing this person wasn't gonna get away it. There, all's right in the world.

When when the conductor came around looking for tickets, the knitter looked at him pleadingly while extending the stubs of five tickets. He looked at them and ripped one in two. Then her phone rang. Apparently, she didn't speak English.

I also noticed the guy who I was sitting next to had taken his bag from beneath his seat and placed it on the seat that I had previously occupied. No one sat next to him the rest of the trip home.

Paying $14 To Go From Penn Station to Penn Station

With a suitcase and a knapsack, I wasn't in the mood to take a subway, and I also had to get my dog back from the sitter, so even though I think cabs are a rip-off, I splurged when I got out of Penn Station and flagged one down. We started up 8th Ave and immediately hit traffic. He told me he was gonna try 10th Ave.
"Fine," I said. More traffic...so much so that he asked if we should just skip 10th and try the West Side Highway.
"Okay." Thanks to the higher prices while sitting in traffic, the meter was already like $7. We made it to the highway, but traffic was ridiculous there too. We sat for a minute in it, when I told him to drive me back to Penn (which was still the nearest subway). I figured this ride was gonna cost me $40 bucks (at least). So yeah, that wasn't a misprint, it did cost me $14 to go from Penn Station to Penn Station.

I need a few days off.

Rock On,

Aitch