Monday in Manhattan

As I walked the platform on the 49th street station, glancing at the advertising posters I was thinking about the graffiti artist who used to draw a mustache on the faces on posters. It was so clever using the word as the moustache, spelt the correct way as far as I am concerned, that is with an “o” in it as opposed to the Microsoft way without. Then there it was ... a poster with the graffiti artists’ work enhancing the poster. I managed to get a shot just before the train arrived. 

Speaking of subways I forgot to write about another subway experience this one I had on Friday. I was at the 59th St stop, Columbus Circle, waiting for the C train. The stop is a busy one where two express trains (A & D) stop on one side of the platform and two local trains (C & B) stop on the other side of the platform. A couple of trains came... the B train arrived so I moved back to allow space for the hordes of people moving in and around the platform.  A few people maintained their stance at the edge of the platform waiting for the train. Along with some others, I noticed movement a little further along the platform...it was a rat ... on the platform not on the track...a rat was sniffing its way past people's feet. As it made its way along the platform, people shifted, startled, backing away from the way the rat was heading. A young woman standing reading her  book noticed and with a quick intake of breath moved back  from the edge... The rat continued on it’s way. Suddenly a man with his big thick boots on rushed from the direction the rat had come and kicked it onto the line. The rat didn’t hit the third rail and twitched considerably as did most people on the platform who had witnessed this violent event. I caught the eye of a fellow commuter and commented on how disconcerting it had all been. Another woman arrived on the platform and asked what was going on- I told her a rat had just been kicked off the platform she said she knew something had happened as everyone was looking down and around nervously. 

Then again another commuting incident...

When I got off the train at Zerega Avenue this morning it was snowing... lightly but still snow. Where did that come from? I checked on my phone and the weather forecast and no indication of it. I decided I really should have bright an umbrella given that Sue and Bernadette had been drenched getting home yesterday and this looked fairly long term. I went into the bodega next to the station and asked without much hope of service for an umbrella. My lack of hope in the service stems from earlier in the year when I tried to use their ATM and the guy allowed me to access it all ... you know dip the card, punch in all the details, say what account etc etc and wait for the money to pop out but not this time and as I was walking out he said "Oh it's out of money" Cold have told me that 15 minutes earlier. Anyway today I thought I would forgive him enough to patronize his store again. Just as I got to the window he moved away- now I'm not sure if it was a purposeful  move away or an on purpose one but he did return and did have an umbrella for $2.99 (I've tried to find the NY1 commercial that talks about knowing that these umbrellas only last 45 minutes- but couldn't found this one instead). Any way I said to the bodega guy- where did that snow come from? and he then began to chat- turns out he lives in Bay Ridge near where I used to live before moving here. He lives at the end of the R line on 95th Street and travels to nearly the end of the 6 line in the Bronx jut for the pleasure of selling me an umbrella in a bodega! I decided my early morning commute was fine compared to his at least 2 hour one!

And the umbrella is still relatively pristine as it has been gloriously sunny for the remainder of the day.