It's said that if you ride the subways of New York, you will see a little bit of everything. After 18 days of riding the subway daily, I do believe that it's true. Generally, the subways are some of the quietest places in New York. People speak softly on the platforms, and most people don't even carry on a conversation in the cars - usually. The exceptions, of course, are when there are young people involved.
You can always tell when school has just let out - lots of pent up energy and noise invade the subway tunnels. You see very young children being schooled in the ways of the subway, and mostly, by the time there are 5, they don't even need to hang on anymore. (Unlike me - a drunken sailor without sea legs in the subway. I'm always so grateful for a vacant seat.)
I've rarely seen anyone eat or drink on the subway, and when they do, it's very furtive. If you make eye contact with an eater, you get this look: "I know I'm breaking the rules, leave me alone." People don't eat sandwiches with gusto in the subway cars, they nibble them out of paper sacks while looking at the floor. There's not even that many drinks in the subway - in this age of giant soft drinks, and cappuchino, machiato, mocha, soy milk, latte, double whipped cream with an extra shot of expresso, that's pretty amazing in itself. One of the things I've never seen is anyone smoking a cigarette in a subway car.
One of the things I have seen are the wandering entertainers - one step ahead of the transit cops. (You can entertain in the tunnels, but not on the platforms or inside the cars.) A guy gets into a car with a guitar (not in a case, but rather slung over his back), and the next thing you know - a Spanish love song is being crooned. These guys usually sing one song at one end of the car, then walk the length of one car with their cup or cap, and then dash into the next car, and do it all over again. Let me tell you, I WOULDN"T even think about going out the end door and stepping across to the next car while the train is barrelling along and swaying at 50 MPH. They seem nimble as deer, and about as concerned.
Fortunately, I haven't seen anyone riding the subway OUTSIDE the cars. The reason I know about this is there are placards up in the cars explaining that this is courting death. Apparently, stupid teenage boys try this - perched with a tiny foothold and clinging with their fingers clenched around some protuberance on the outside of a moving subway car. They are like butterflies or moths caught on your car by the motion of the wind. You know it's going to end in disaster. This is as stupid as driving while drunk. Actually, probably more stupid, since you can stop your own car by taking your foot off the gas pedal. If you wake up from your insanity attack during your outside the car subway ride, woe is you.
I've also been subjected to abject begging. This has only happened twice. Once, the guy just shuffled the length of the car asking for change. The second time, the guy had a spiel ready to go which involved getting out of prison, his mother being ashamed of him, and other pitiful recitations. The transit authority is trying to put a stop to this by deliberately making loudspeaker announcements asking people to NOT give out any money. They are right, of course. If you're a rider on the subway, you're a captive audience, and you should have some right of privacy - which would include not being solicited, sung to, or smoked on.
Tonight, however, took the cake. We were on the subway riding home after an excellent dinner at LaRevista and watching a wonderful Tom Stoppard Play (Arcadia). It's a Friday night, and everything is hopping - lots of people. As we pull into a station a group of 20 somethings get on - there were 4 couples. All of a sudden, right in front of Drake and I, a boy (22, 23, maybe) drops down on one knee in front of the girl he is with and begins to propose. She covers her mouth with both her hands initially, and then jerks back - saying, "But this is the SUBWAY! You can't propose on the subway. Stop! Stop!" His answer: "But, I have the ring." She keeps shaking her head, no, no, and saying, "But it's the subway," until a flash of despair crosses his face quickly followed by petulant anger. I don't think her reaction is what he expected. He jumps up and stalks away to other end of the car with her following him trying to placate his feelings. The other friends huddle around, and I don't know the outcome. Did she finally accept? Was this a performance piece? Drake and I both agreed that it didn't feel performance, but who knows? After all - it's the subway, anything can happen.
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