Monday, December 1, 2008

A Grotesque Night in New York City



After taking my girlfriend out to celebrate her birthday and dropping her home. I jump on the 6 train in Harlem and then transfer to the E, the train which has tied for 1st in the most disgusting trains in the NYC Subway system. After stepping on the subway car the mutual bond between the homeless and the regular night traveler is in full display. In the corners or the one seaters are the homeless people most commonly called the bums. The train goes on its regular scheduled trip until it gets to 71st Continental Ave. The conductor says it's the last stop due to signal trouble and kicks everyone off. Hoping the next E train is actually going to the last stop I wait for about 15 minutes and jump on the next train. After sitting there for about 2mins everyone once again is kicked off the train. As everyone files off the train I realized that the natural bond between night traveler and bum has been broken on the station platform. They seemed to come from all directions and a horrid urine type smell filled the air. Holding my breath and hoping that either the people moved or the F train on the other platform came before I suffocated I watched them as they walked around the platform. They had ungroomed faces tattered clothes in disgusting condition. As I watched something I've seen before popped up again. One of them was wearing a hospital bracelet which got me thinking either that was for an actual hospital or maybe it was for an insane asylum or something around those lines. Then as if called by some mysterious noise on the opposite side of the platform they all turned and walked in that general direction. The F train finally came and with the E train not running I had to take a 5 block walk in the freezing cold to the bus along with a 25 minutes wait for the bus. The good thing is I got home safe a sound.

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