The Journey

iPod in. Sun glasses on. MetroCard in pocket. Iced coffee in hand.

Rolling suitcase gliding through the turnstyle as I maneuver the coffee hand-off/MetroCard swipe seemlessly to the tune of Rihanna's "Only Girl in the World."

After 4 1/2 years I think I have finally mastered, and perhaps grown to appreciate, the commute. For contrary to most things in life, it's NOT about the journey - but about the destination. When a New York Girl is psyched about where she's going, the commute is much more tolerable. Today I wasn't bothered by the smelly homeless man, the crying baby, the kid playing his iPod to club music at 8:30am too loudly, or the overweight man sitting in the seat that could be mine. I wasn't bothered by the bumpiness of the train that splashed my coffee onto my hands or the sudden halt at 72nd St. Or the rush of angry, late commuters who bumped into the girl with the rolling suitcase as they piled into the same car as me, appearing to think "if I can just knock her over then I could take her spot!" I wasn't bothered by the wide Sombrero-wearing Mexican mariacche band that decided it was a good idea to march up and down the subway cars with their guitarras serenading the sleepy, angry commuters with their rendition of La Cucharacha. I wasn't bothered by the beggar trailing behind the band competing for change with his talent of shaking a cup.

Because this morning I wasn't going to my tiring job uptown. No, this morning I'm on my way home for a little vacation spent with my family away from the noise and smell and speed of New York. A little weekend getaway in the green pastures and rolling hills of Western Mass. So as I sit here on the Metro North train north east, I've compiled this list for:

A New York Girl's Guide to Commuting with a Smile:


1. Make sure your iPod is fully charged. This first act alone ensures a peaceful ride uninterrupted by crying babies, mariacche bands and people who think their ride is more important than yours. Update your iPod frequently to include new mood-lifting playlists with empowering titles such as: "Good Morning Sunshine," "Go Get Em Girl," and "Livin for the Weekend."
2. Always bring a beverage according to the time of day: Morning iced coffee, afternoon iced tea, evening bottle of water (time to climb down from your caffeine high).
3. Carry napkins in your bag (for when the beverage inevitably spills).
4. Invest in a good-quality large umbrella that does not fit into your bag. Your rainy days will be considerably sunnier.
5. Have your MetroCard ready at an easily-accessible, safe location such as your coat pocket so you save 2.7 seconds off your commute time.
6. When a train car door is closing DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SQUEEZE THROUGH. Remember: It is better to be late and look amazing than early with your arm chopped off.
7. Look for a seat on the train towards the center of the train car. People tend not to bother you here. If you are close to the door you will be pushed and shoved more times than you expect.
8. If you are sitting but a pregnant woman or an elderly person or a child is standing, offer them your seat. You'll make their day easier and you'll feel like a model citizen.
9. Avoid making eye contact with anyone who gives you a funny feeling.
10. If someone or something smells, casually get up at the next stop and move to the next train car. It is more worth it to give up your seat than deal with unsatisfactory smells during an already unsatisfactory experience.

Oh and finally,
11. Know thy destination.

Sometimes it feels like we'll never get there. But when we know that where we're going in life will be worth it, the arduous journey is that much easier to endure. Tough times don't last, but tough people do.

Someday I'll Buy Iced Tea

I bought an iced tea at the convenience store around the corner from my house yesterday and it was the best thing in the world. Not the iced tea, itself, although I do love iced tea. But the experience was awesome. How amazing could a trip to the convenience store be?, you ask. Well, need I remind you that it's the little things - like talking to strangers and turning the age of my birthdate- that make me happy.

When I was little, I thought it was a shame we didn't live near a convenience store because I thought it would be so cool to just be like "Hey Mom, I'm popping to the store real quick to get an iced tea real quick! Be back real quick!" And then I could walk or ride my bike down the street all by myself, spend that mysterious green thing called money, and drink my iced tea while making my way back home. Real quick. But in Feeding Hills, we didn't have a convenience store around the corner. Our convenience store was conveniently located 4 miles away. Nor did I walk home from school, so I couldn't stop for a malt shake at the malt shop(pe) on my way home, like all the kids did in the 1950's of my imagination. My suburban town has some rural sections, and we lived in one rural part that was rapidly growing residencially with big new neighborhoods full of big new houses and no little old convenience stores.

You can imagine my excitement upon moving to New York City, with places for me to grab iced teas all the time, any time. Although, at $3 a pop, I don't grab a drink every day. I save my $3 for special occassions. Like for when I'm really thirsty. Or bored. And hence why yesterday's trip was such a treat: because I have now developed a love for Arizona's teas in huge cans for just (drumroll please) 99 cents! It is such a bargain! It's like 2 drinks for the price of half of 1! At this price, I can make up for all the drinks I wasn't able to buy as a little kid!

I knew when I was 12 that I was moving to NYC when I grew up. And so I knew then that I would someday live my dream of buying cans and bottles of artificially sugared drinks with fancy names like Snapple. Unfortunately, there were some other things that I aspired to when I was little that haven't lived up to their potential. For one, I played for hours upon end with my mini kitchen when I was young, and now I can't stand cooking. All those hours I was looking forward to doing the "real thing" and then it just panned out to disappointment. Also, I always thought it'd be cool to have my own set of keys and open the door to my house on my own. This movement we go through at least once a day as adults is often more of a burden than a simple routine, as my hands are often full of bags and the mail and my cell phone and my over-priced beverage from the convenience store, and the key always gets stuck while my screen door likes to hurl itself at my face if it can't be shut again in 1.3 seconds. And one more thing - when I was little, I couldn't wait to write out checks in a checkbook that was all my own. I practiced my signature every second I got. Now the thought of writing out a check is associated with a cringe as I think about my bank account, and my signature, although I think is pretty, is often misread, for I'm told my cursive "U" looks like an "N," and thus I possess the tax returns for Jodie Pfan.

Aside from those inconveniences, being a grown up is still just as cool as I thought it would be. I mean, I don't even have to ask my Mom whether or not I can grab a quick drink at the store - I can just go all on my own without asking anybody! Although that comes with it's drawbacks, too. Sometimes I could use a little help opening the door and definately with the cooking. And I wouldn't mind if Mom wanted to come to the convenience store with me. Drinking iced tea together is more fun. Whether you can get it real quick across the street or have to drive a million miles to get it.