Disclaimer #1: There is no actual drunkenness (on my part) in this tale.
Disclaimer #2: I have not taken up drinking.
I made my first jaunt up to Harlem this past weekend for a house warming party. I was tired to begin with, having had a long day, but I was rudely awakened (ironic expression considering my sleepy disposition) to the travails of weekend train travel. As an equation, my experience taught me this: trains+weekend+late night+me= something bad, very very bad. Think Apocalypse bad.
The ride up was pretty quick and painless, but since I left just after midnight, I got to the station in time for the for the construction schedule to begin on my way back. I had to take different trains and then when I got to a more familiar “neck-of-the-woods” the trains I normally take from Manhattan to Queens were closed down. So I had to take a different train and do weird transfers. By the time I got home a 40 minute trek turned into an hour and a half.
Sadly, it wasn’t as bad as the next night, Saturday. I happened to work late that night, into the early Sunday morning hours. I left work at right about two in the morning and had to make just as many weird transfers, but with longer waits ‘cause trains run with less frequency at that time of night. The thing I noticed though was how weird most of the people were. Usually there is one weird person standing out from the crowd, but at 2:45 on a Sunday morning, the normal ONE stands out. The weirdest I saw were the two girls in angel and devil costumes.
As I grew frustrated, and at times confused about my route, I thought how impossible navigation would be if I was drunk. (I thought this after seeing a drunk dude, I don’t often imagine being drunk...) Seriously, I had to think hard about which route to take and make adjustments on the fly, taking trains I don’t normally take. Being inebriated would have most likely caused me to end up it some out of the way place in the Bronx, or way out in Queens, nowhere near my home. That or I could have passed out and had my shoes stolen or somebody would have graffitied my face. Then one of my friends would call me a rabbi’s uncle just before I threw up and became the subject of some weird guys blog.
Anyway, the whole drinking thing still has no appeal to me, even now in a city known for it’s night-life. Some places might be interesting, and some events go late in to the evening but I would prefer to remember what I did and how to get home.
Sunday at church I was relating my adventures in late night subway travels and I was given some advice: take a taxi. I thought, “it would have been great to think of that as an options” and “wow, taxi rides would be rife with blog potential.” So, by the time people get sick of “this week on the subway...” I will have moved on to “today, this happened in the taxi.” OK, that last line felt kind of weak to me, but I haven’t ridden in a taxi yet, so don’t expect me have a pithy comment yet... I’m only human and can only do so much...
Thought 1: I should hope not!
ReplyDeleteThought 2: I hope you were the ONE normal one that was standing out. =)
Thought 3: Taxis have always sounded scary to me! But perhaps they would be a better option in situations like your late night treks.
Two words...Cash Cab. Wouldn't that be something if your first taxi ride doubled as a game show...totally blog worthy, imo. :)
ReplyDeleteSadly, I was so tired that particular night, I could have passed for a drunk person.
ReplyDeleteCash Cab would be cool, but I would get stumped on a easy question and look like one of the idiots who missed the first question on who wants to be a millionaire...