Thursday, September 28, 2006

Subway Scenes on the Way to JFK

I found that taking various methods of mass transit to JFK airport made a lot of sense. Tallying up the total, so far I've spent about $60, including a round trip ticket on a Peter Pan bus. It was as Sam would say, inspiring to spend about half of what it would cost to park at the airport and not have to drive anywhere. I also love not thinking about car keys for this whole trip.

On the way to the airport, via the A train NYC subway, I observed the passengers beside me. At one point when I joined another traveler with a big pack obviously also heading to the airport, and asked about how to get there, three straphangers chimed in, letting us know we had to get off and wait for the other train to get to the Airtrain at Howard Beach. I saw a 60ish man doing a crossword puzzle who had an earring. Then I saw a very dark skinned woman wearing a headscarf and very ornate black coverings up and down her arms and legs. Then a grey haired older black man who wore a security guard uniform and shiny brown loafers.

When the subway emerged from the tunnel to the elevated tracks, many of the people on the train took out cellphones and began staring at them. Beside me was a very fat man with a brown tee shirt that said 'chocolate factory R Kelly.' Two strapping young men stood in the doorway, both with tight doo rags, and spoke loudly, making many of the other passengers uncomfortable.

I had become friendly with a young Asian woman who wore a bright sash in her hair and carried an enormous blue backpack. She was flying to Las Vegas, where she would meet a group and the 35 of them would hike for eight days in Utah. It was fun traveling the subway with her, both of us waiting for the train, and then we said our goodbyes and went to our separate terminals.

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