Summer Firsts

Last summer at Echo Lake brought me many firsts, despite it being my 6th time on staff for the 4n4 trip across the west.  I even used that as the basis of my "Trail" article, summing up the summer and our trip through funny memories of things that were "firsts" for me.  (The list included the first time our group ever spent half the day in Newark airport on our way out west, as well as the first time we had a "Johnny Depp" sighting, starring a co-counselor who played it off really well, in Las Vegas.)

Seeing as this is my first summer I am ever spending in NYC, there are also a number of "firsts" I have already had here, and will continue to have.   Monday night was one of them.  I met up with a few friends to go see "The Wizard of Oz" in Bryant Park, as a part of their free movies series over the summer.

And it - was - fabulous!

The line was longer and way more intimidating than it actually was, and once I was IN the line, it moved quickly and I found out it was only to inspect bags, not to do headcounts or kick anyone out.  Our group all met up by about 7pm on the grass and we had great seats to see the screen (although I really think anywhere in the park provides a great seat to see the screen because of how they set up the screen and that they prohibit anyone bringing tables or chairs to use in the park; everyone is sitting or lying on the ground.

We all brought something to eat - snacks and/or dinner, and we enjoyed the nice warm summer breeze and chit-chat while hanging out and waiting for the movie to start.  It was casual and comfortable (I was smart enough to bring my crazy creek so I had a back to my seat - it was delightful!).  The wait was getting to be a little annoying, since we were in the park around 6:30pm and the movie was not scheduled to start until 9pm.  So we were a little antsy and at a few points I thought I'd leave before the movie even started, and that my being in the park and chatting with some friends was fun enough a night for me.

Eventually, as the sun went down, the big lights went off, I stayed put, and the movie started!  Everyone stood up at the HBO beginning (apparently a tradition, to "fly" through the lights) and the main feature was presented!  At some points, it was more like a sing-a-long in the park than a movie in the park!  With such familiar songs, many in the park joined Judy Garland at multiple points during the movie.  People applauded as little Toto jumped from the Wicked Witch's basket and ran to safety.  It was hilarious, but I got into it by the end and was also singing, clapping, laughing, and enjoying.

I'm glad I went and I think I will probably go again in 2 weeks (for Roman Holiday - anyone is welcome to join me!).  The only negative thing I really have to say is that there was one girl who continued to smoke cigarettes throughout the movie.  I was really close to saying something to her before the movie started, but realized that I would have had to step on a lot of people and/or their things to even get back to her, and I didn't want to shout my kind request across a group of people.  I should mention that not only is it rude to people around, but NYC passed a law not so long ago that it is illegal now to smoke in NYC parks.  Bryant Park is...drum roll please...a park!  So not only was she breaking the law, but also I thought she'd be a little more courteous to her neighbors and others nearby.  I guess it's too much to expect from someone who cares zero about their lungs and health, to care about others as well.

Next time, if this happens, there will be words, and I promise they will be nice.  I'm nice.  And so are my lungs.  I'd like to keep them that way.

Life in Queens, June 2012

After living on the Upper West Side for 4 years (except the summers and a 7 month period of time when I was abroad), I moved to Queens for the month of June.  Why, oh why, you may ask, did I do this?  Because my lease ended in May, I wasn't granted a lease extension (I asked for a few months - hey, if you don't ask, you won't get), and my sister (in whose apartment I stayed) will not be moving back there until after the summer.  (Why I am not staying longer than a month/the whole summer is because the family owned apartment was promised to my dad's cousins - in advance of me figuring out my summer sitch - for a month when their daughter - my cousin - had her baby.  So those arrangements were made and thankfully they WERE because she had the baby a few days ago!  Woohoo!)


Now that I have had this month of life change, I have some thoughts to share on life in Queens for a month:

-- Woodside did and probably will always remind me of my grandparents.  Every time I heard the subway running along Roosevelt Avenue, walking back to 57th Street, I thought of visiting Grandma Florrie and Gramps during the summers and other times of year when they'd come up to see us.  I don't really remember what we did in Woodside as children, or what shops we went to in the area, or any details, but that sound evokes fond memories of my grandparents.  Even after a month and lots of trains going by.

-- Living in a studio apartment is probably not for me.  I really liked having a door to my bedroom for so many years so it felt strange to be without one.  It was still nice to live alone and do what I want when I want, dress (or not dress!  oh my!) how I want around the apartment, take out the trash when I want, leave laundry where I want, etc.  But everything in the apartment was all in one room, so it was something to get used to.


-- Commuting on the subway is a pain.  Well, compared with my most recent commuting experience which was walking.  And maybe even compared with my not-as-recent commuting experience by car, which also had its downsides, but, here I describe my daily encounters with what I will call "The Beast."


   1) Despite some people trying to, many others do not care about personal space.  I know we all have our own spectrum on what is too much room or not enough room, between people, but to me there is a fairly happy medium.  Some folks get all up in your grill (and it's even worse when they smell bad!), but on the contrary, when the train is crowded, sometimes folks do not move in to the subway car as far as they could, or just don't move in general when they could, to make space for other people riding the train.  Additionally, it is almost painful to see an empty seat on a crowded subway that no one is taking, because those of us standing are crammed in like sardines as it is, and someone sitting in that one seat would give the rest of us some teeny weeny amount more in wiggle room.  It doesn't always happen that way.


   2) Many NYers are very courteous people, and in fact, I would say most are (despite non NYers fearing us, thinking we are just all rude/nasty people).  However, there are some people who do not know how to move from the doorway of a subway car as people are exiting or entering.  This makes the passenger loading and unloading process a little bit longer and so much more annoying!  When it's me in the doorway and people need to exit, I too exit, stand by the door, and when they are all gone, I make my way back in.  When I'm waiting for people to exit so that I can get on, I also move to the side of the door and wait for everyone to get out.  So many people just stand in the way like they own the MTA.  My happy medium on this one is to slightly bump people with my elbow or bag (if I have one) because giving them a little dose of their own not-so-courteous medicine, without me being a total d-bag, is sometimes OK.


   3) I have noticed on the subways that are truly subways, in that they are underground, people are usually pretty quiet, even when talking to others.  Not always, but most of the time.  On the 7 train, because it is mostly above ground, there are a lot of people who talk on their cell phones.  And at an unnecessarily loud level.  Or talk to their friend.  Also at an unnecessarily loud level.  This makes it particularly difficult to hear announcements on the trains where the speakers are already muffled, and also difficult to read on the subway, which I have done quite a bit.  I usually can only read in silence or with white noise in the background.  Too much talking for my taste on the train because many are discourteous to their fellow passengers.  Maybe it's just the 7 train, maybe it's just my increased sensitivity and irritability to this, who knows.  Keep to indoor voices, people!


   4) Others on the subway would entertain themselves by listening to whatever was on their headphones, or playing videogames.  Sometimes this is problematic as well.  Some people think it's OK to play videogames on their phone or other device, with the volume on and without headphones.  Guess what people, that is not OK.  But thanks for trying.  I even asked someone on a bus many months ago to turn down her volume and she did.  It pays to ask nicely sometimes, but usually on the subway, I just didn't care, or was getting off at an upcoming stop that it wasn't worth my trouble.  And sometimes people listen to their own headphones but with the music still way too loud.  So loud that I can not only hear the beat of the music but I could recognize the song and sing along to it because the music was so loud.  In 20 years, there will be lots of NYers with major hearing damage because they were not so smart.  Serves them right.  Regarding noise levels on the subway, I really think the MTA could make some subtle and casual announcements or post some signs reminding passengers to be courteous of other passengers in many ways, but particularly when it relates to volume level because it affects everyone.


   5) On more than one occasion, I saw women putting on make up on the subways.  Granted, this was happening when the trains were not as crowded as the morning or evening rush, but I still thought it was pretty rude.  We all know (even those of us that don't own or wear make up) that when you put on anything with a powder (eyeshadow, bronzer, blush), that powder goes everywhere.  People who do their make up over a sink always have to clean up the layer of schmutz that develops on the sink.  So the fact that people were doing this in a highly public place was pretty inconsiderate.  Worst of all, I saw a girl using her eyelash curler on the subway about a week ago.  Is it wrong that I wanted to train to come to a screeching halt so she pulled our her own eyelashes?  It would have been her own fault and she would have deserved it; I am really not that evil.


-- I found some half decent restaurants in the neighborhood, on various occasions.  My mind, my world, and my tastebuds have been expanded.


-- I bought a monthly metrocard for the month I commuted, so you better believe I tried to get use of it when I could.  Normally I wouldn't make plans all over this city but I definitely visited some neighborhoods I don't visit on a regular basis.  I also swiped friends in to the subway when I knew they'd otherwise be using a pay-per-ride card, just to get more use of my card.  I used my card to run errands that were only a few blocks away even though I would normally walk.  It was nice to have the freedom to roam and I know I could get a monthly metrocard every single month.  But, I still have to watch my monthly budget so I think I will stick with my pay-per-rides for now and figure out how to get all my free transfers when possible.


-- I enjoyed reading the morning papers - the Metro and the AM New York, although I preferred the AM because I could actually DO the crossword puzzle on the last page.  The news articles were pretty similar anyways, as far as I noticed, from the days I picked up both on my way in.  My only plus given to the Metro is that it is stapled so it saves some hassle while trying to flip pages being crammed in the subway car.  I hear that most commuters actually have a preference on which newspaper they read, so I guess I've taken my stance.  Note: all of my papers are being recycled in the synagogue's religious school where the children use them for art projects throughout the year.  If they weren't collected there, they would certainly be recycled because I hate wasting; these papers were not read in vain!


-- I really felt displaced living in Woodside.  The few times in the last month I came up to the West 100s, I felt like I was back home.  I know the neighborhood and who lives here, and feel comfortable in this neck of the woods.  I am excited to be back in my hood!


In summary, my life has not drastically changed over the last month but I certainly learned some things about Queens, about commuting, and looking at the bigger picture.