Growing up in New York City

Growing up in New York City introduced me to the world of colorful people quickly. My subway ride to high school on the East Side of Manhattan, 15th St. and 2nd Ave. everyday was a real trip. The old Canarsie line, or BMT, at 14th street provided hilarity on a continual basis. The middle-aged lady who was swinging back and forth from the strap because all the straps except one were missing. Every time the train lurched this lady would go flying a few feet but managed to hold on like she was riding a bronco. Poor thing. The worse thing about being a wiseguy in NYC was that her swaying back and forth aimlessly was a form of entertainment for us. When we realized that the fun was over with we tried to help but she had already shaken a few bones. Now I would race over if anyone were going through that.

The windows were often broken also so when the train surfaced from the underground on its way to Brooklyn, the person sitting next to the window in a rainstorm would be soaked.

The doors would sometimes slam shut very quickly or move real slow and then slam shut so we saw lots of people caught inbetween the doors with that panic look on their face, that true deer in the headlights look.

Lots of fun stuff like that. The A train ride had a ton of good stories but we'll hold off on those for now.