You know you are on the New York City subway when...(#2)
you have just finished playing a soccer game in 95 degree heat and you reak to high heaven, but you are not the most foul-smelling person on the train.
You know you are on the New York City subway when...(#1)
...you are reading an advertisement in the train that appears in 14 languages, none of which are in your native tongue--English.
The time is now 8:37, Twenty-three minutes to Nine...
FROM THE NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY: Every rider of public transportation has had one time or another when they are not sure where to get off the train, bus, etc. Usually, (hopefully) this occurs when you are taking a different train line than usual, when you are going beyond your regular route, or you are not sure if the express train makes a certain stop. It is these times when you hope that you are in a car with a working PA system and more importantly, that you are in a train with a conductor who speaks clearly, speaks English, and announces the upcoming stops efficiently.
Well, it is unusual to get all four of those at one time (unless you are riding on one of the IRT's new "automated PA" cars.) But when you do get all of those at one time it is especially enlightening when you also get a charismatic conductor. You know the type. The one who wishes you a good morning or good weekend. The one who lists some of the attractions at the upcoming stop. Well, my favorite New York City conductor is the young man who conducts the Brooklyn to Queens F train weekday mornings that arrives at Jay Street/Borough Hall at 8:37 AM. Let's just say he takes great pride on getting commuters to their destinations on time and on helping them on their way after they have departed his train.
Every morning as the Manhattan bound F train approaches the Jay Street/Borough Hall station (a popular junction where the 6th Ave. F train connects to the 8th. Ave A and C trains) this hard-working conductor ensures his passengers know what time it is and lets them know if they need to pick it up a notch in order to get to work on time.
In a clear voice he says: THE NEXT STOP IS JAY STREET/BOROUGH HALL. TRANSFER POINT TO YOUR A AND C 8TH AVENUE TRAINS...LADIES AND GENTLEMAN THE TIME IS NOW 8:37. TWENTY-THREE MINUTES UNTIL NINE. TWENTY-THREE MINUTES UNTIL THE HOUR. ..8:37...THIS IS JAY STREET/BOROUGH HALL. THANK YOU FOR RIDING MTA NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT.
The first time I heard it I had to chuckle to myself and think, "wow, this man loves his job." If only every conductor took his or her duty to the train's passengers as seriously as the conductor on this F train, maybe the subway would be a brighter place.
