The Train In Vain: Sharing Commuting Stories

I am on vacation for the holidays. Hooray! But rather than spend my vacation in a far off exotic and unusual place full of interesting and diverse locals, like Boca Raton, Florida, we decided to do something different. We decided to visit someplace unique. We are in...

New York City.

You may be asking, "Who does that? Who goes to the place they work when on vacation? Well, you just hold on there, because the story gets better. We are staying in the hotel next door to my client's office. Not only next door to my client's office, we are staying in a room that looks out over my desk at the client's office. Just because I come here every day, it doesn't mean my kids should miss out on the greatest city in the world.

It all feels so familiar, yet not so familiar. Why? Because the shoe is on the other foot. This time, I am the tourist. I am blog material.

I've had a camera around my shoulder, we've stood on the left side of the escalator without walking, we went to Times Square (horrors!), we got on the subway before people finished getting off, and we got thrown when the train jerked.

We are having a great time. My little guy gets so excited on the subway that he keeps asking questions. He asks why we keep hearing a squealing noise. He asks who is driving the train. People are getting up for us and giving up their seats. They smile nicely. And then they put on their headphones to drown us out.

I could share endless vacation anecdotes, but I'll just share a few good quotes from the subway.

"Dad, you ride this train EVERY DAY? You're so lucky!" Well, I don't like to brag, kids. But yes. Yes, I do. And yes. Yes, I am.

"Is this our stop? No. Is this our stop? No. Is this our stop? No. Is this our stop?" Mind you, he didn't want to get off the train. He wanted to stay on the train and be sure we weren't there yet. When we got to our destination, there was sadness.

"I don't want to hold on." My daughter is strong-willed. She sets her mind to something, she does it. She wanted to learn how to subway surf without holding on. She's a pro now. Nearly a few wipeouts, but we were there to catch her.

"Can you carry me? I'm tired." What can I tell you? After a while, Times Square made my legs ache. My wife said no, though. The nerve. After all I do for her.

All of us at TTIV wish you and your families a joyous and healthy holiday season, and a happy new year! I hope that whatever you celebrate is festive.

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Happy and safe commuting, and may you encounter uncommon sense.

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