Public Transportaton is the Best!

I love public transportation in New York and New Jersey. When I moved to NJ, I left my car behind-not entirely voluntarily, but that's a story for another day. I usually use the PATH train to go the 8-15 minute ride into Manhattan, but occasionally I have to go further, to Secaucus or Elizabeth. Those trips on a New Jersey Transit bus can be most interesting, but a trip on the PATH recently, proved almost as entertaining.

I have been asked to go to another store in Elizabeth a couple times a week to help out. Last night, I closed the store and got on the bus along with 60 other people. Single mothers with young kids, mall employees who were exhausted after a day of dealing with the public, and shoppers with their over-sized bags. I ended up standing, and trying to read. I carry the latest issue of Vanity Fair or Details to pass the time. I glanced around the bus. In front of me was a lady with three small children. Over there was a man doing his best to saffron rice out of a disposable container. Beside the lady with the kids, a woman applying lotion. I could smell the lotion and was able to read the green, medicine-bottle-shaped container in her shopping bag. Bath and Body Works "Relaxing Lotion" wasn't doing its job, at least for me. I watched as the lady pulled the pump from the bottle and tried, without success to secure it in the "just bought, sealed bottle" position. She must have tried for a full five minutes to push, turn and lock the pump to no avail.

I turned back to my magazine and began reading. Chicken wings. Saffron rice, relaxing lotion, now chicken wings. Will it stop? The answer, I would learn was no. I realized we were still in the parking lot at the mall. Behind a snaking line of cars all leaving at the same time. This was going to be an all night experience. As it turns out, it was two hours and ten minutes, door to door. Technically, not all night, but I couldn't wait to get home and get into my bed.

My phone beeped with a text message. "Where are you? Will you come into the City for a drink?" It was Ali and this was her last night here for her visit for New Year's Eve. I agreed to meet her and Charity and got up and got dressed. When I got to the subway station, an elderly couple asked how to get to Exchange Place. I told them it was one stop from here, then asked if they were visiting. They said they were from Munich (Germany) and were here to see the ball drop in Times Square. I asked if they made it and they said they had a fabulous experience at Applebee's. They had purchased the package that allowed them to hang out at Applebee's then step outside just before midnight to see the ball drop, then back in until the crowds cleared. I would like to do that some year. I talked to them until we got to Exchange Place and they stepped off the train, wishing me a happy new year. They turned back and waved several times and smiled as they walked away. I like to make people smile.

I got into the City and met up with Ali and Charity. Clearly, they had been there for some time. They introduced the bartender to me, who shook my hand and said, "I've been overserving these girls for quite a while now." This, I already knew. After a couple beers and a couple shots (on my part--I wouldn't dream of guessing what they may have had,) we called it a night. As we left, Ali realized that she hadn't had her sauerkraut for the new year. She and Charity had enjoyed some bacon earlier at brunch, but had not had the sauerkraut required by the tradition. I, on the other hand, had sauerkraut on a Reuben philly earlier in the day, but no pork. I looked at my watch, saw it was 11:45 and we were running out of time. Just before we got to the ubway station we saw a hot dog cart on the corner. We asked, and he had sauerkraut, but the hot dogs weren't pork. He handed us a cup of sauerkraut and bid us a happy new year.

Across the street, three PATH employees were singing with the radio. Charity and Ali heard them and their path diverted. "Do you want some sauerkraut? Sauerkraut! For the New Year!"

First one, then the second finally understood what Ali was asking. "No, I don't eat pork," one said. The other claimed to be a Southerner and ate pork every day. The third was hiding in the construction shed with the door closed.

We moved on and began the decent on the escalator. Two Africans were beside us and Ali again asked if they would like some sauerkraut. The one next to Ali said no, thanks and Ali tried talking him into having some. All the way down the escalator she tried to convince this poor traveler to have some sauerkraut. Just as we reached the bottom, his friend said, "No" and drew his finger across his throat as if to say, "We are done with this conversation--or worse" and they quickly went to the train. I consoled Ali by telling her that they probably had read about people like her in the travel books about New York, and they were probably a little nervous. Don't take it personally.

There are tons of things to do when you visit New York. Public transportation should be at the top of your list.