I hate the subway, I love the subway, I hate the subway,
I love ... well, you get the idea. It's crowded, noisy, and
annoying -- but it gets you where you're going (most
of the time), runs 24/7/365, and you do encounter
some interesting characters -- musicians, buskers,
preachers, and this guy, who's managed to boil it all
down to a simple choice.
I guess the next one he could be wearing if he became affiliated with a church fallen on hard times would be: "Repaint Our Parish."
ReplyDeleteMaybe I have been getting a slightly distorted idea of Brooklyn and your neck of the east coast woods: Cherry trees in luxuriant full blossom; free concerts in the park; Paris wannabe triumphal arches; isolated enclaves of exclusively private parks; world-class historically significant architecture...
Thanks for bringing me down to Earth, Alexa. I was beginning to get curious what terrestrial life was like there. But with your skills as a kind of still-life, cinema-verité photographer, even the subways as depicted by you can seem a bit out of this world.
tall gary -- you crack me up (btw, I'm pretty sure he is his own one-man parish).
ReplyDeleteTrust me, though, everyday life here is decidedly terrestrial. On the other hand, this IS the Big Apple and amazing things are all around if you just keep your peepers wide open.
Your comments (wow) and Eric's example make me want to step up to the bar. So thanks (I think!).
Hi Alexa...how does the NY subway compare with the Paris Metro? I've never had the chance to sub my way in NYC and am curious. Merci!
ReplyDeleteTall Gary...I like your wordplay! [High fives and Amen Brother!]
ReplyDeletecoltrane -- I've personally never experienced a delay or breakdown on the metro. The subway -- fuhgeddaboutit. They do track work on the weekends, which means nothing runs normally. Half the time you can't understand the loudspeaker announcements (I have literally led foreign visitors by the hand to show them the right train to take). And speaking of loud, the metro runs on rubber wheels, for Pete's sake! It's also a lot easier to navigate, even for someone who doesn't speak French. But, like I said, on the plus side the subway never closes. People have asked me, "Aren't you afraid to ride the train late at night?" I was recently on the subway at 3 AM on Saturday morning -- and all the seats were taken!
ReplyDeleteNow, which would you rather ride?
nice shot, Alexa!!:)
ReplyDeleteIts strange...but somehow since the last few turns, I'm kinda finding a chain between bombay and Ny!!:)
Alexa...thanks for taking the time to compare and offer your view. That was extremely helpful. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Paris last year the one time I took the metro there was a problem and we had to leave and take the bus or other transport. Since my French sucks I never did find out what the problem was and if it was just that line or the whole system. When I told this to a French person they seemed surprised. Of course on that trip I had all sorts of odd things happen :-)
ReplyDelete