the subway and the weather

since i've driven most of my life, i thought that giving it up and taking public transportation would be a huge adjustment. it actually hasn't been too bad. besides the first few days when i actually needed a car and on my first couple days of work, when i kept getting off on the wrong subway stop, i haven't really felt the change except for my long commute on the train to and from work. since i take it during peak times, it's usually crowded and you really are back to back with a stranger. i rarely get a seat so i don't even look for it anymore. i just stand, play solitaire on my phone or listen to my ipod. i'll probably test out reading this week.

there's a lot of planning ahead. it's not as easy, obviously, to just jump in a car and get some take out, or meet some friends, or go buy some kleenex. if i have to run such errands, i normally do it during my lunch when i'm in the city. there's a huge cvs by work but there's also duane reades everywhere (pretty much the same as cvs or walgreen's but smaller). i make lots of lists these days. but the subway is very useful and 91% of the people that live in the area use it. it's pretty reliable and it runs all the time. it runs less frequently at night but that's to be expected. i just have to pay attention to the little signs posted in the subway about schedule changes. for example, on friday, i had to make sure to leave the city by 11pm because the 2 train didn't run after midnight for some electrical improvements. if i didn't see that sign, i would have been looking for a cab. sc & i learned this the 2nd day we were here.

considering the temperature has been in the teens, twenties, and thirties (mostly in the twenties and some days, with the wind chill factor, it's in the single digits or less) the weather also hasn't been too bad. i'm sure when it's summer, i won't remember quite how cold it gets here. i'm more concerned about the rain since i have to walk every where. i don't want to be one of those people with a bubble around me but i don't think my polka dot gap umbrella is going to work here. oh well, i'll figure it out.

xoxo,

p.