Scene and heard

The first four days of this week, I arrived on the platform at 86th Street within a minute of a train leaving, so I had to wait several minutes for the next one. On one of those days, as also happened once last week, as my train pulled in to 36th Street, the D train I want had barely started pulling away from the platform.

This morning, I was a little later, and as I reached the turnstiles, a train was pulling in. Was I lucky today? No! My monthly pass had run out, so I needed to buy a new one. Americans have their name for such luck, but the British call it Sod’s Law. And that was a perfect example.

On my way home, I took the N train. At Pacific Street, we sat for at least two minutes. An M train pulled in and it was almost at a halt, the doors to the N train closed. The train started moving as the doors to the other opened. Hardly rare, but why have us wait for 2 minutes and pull away then? I know they claim it is necessary to do such things during the rush hour, but anyone who has travelled much on the New York Subway will be all too aware that they do the same thing away from the rush hour also. I think it is part incompetence and part insensitivity/nastiness. I really don’t like the MTA.