The Train In Vain: Sharing Commuting Stories

Friday, January 23, 2015

Skunks On a Train

Ever heard of snakes on a plane? Today, I experienced skunk on a train.

What?

Yes, skunk on a train. That's a new one for me. I rode the A Train from 34th Street down to Chambers Street, and the whole train car reeked of skunk. I've heard of coyote sightings in New York City, but skunks? Just another reason to keep a pair of nose plugs on hand when commuting.

I have so many questions.

Do skunks live in Manhattan? I've never seen one there. But I suppose it's possible. If a skunk has the money to pay the rent, a landlord probably won't ask questions.

Would a skunk need to take the train someplace? I wonder what kind of to do list a skunk might have.

Where does a skunk need to go? I'd think a skunk would want to spend time in Elizabeth, NJ, where the industrial smell would far overpower a skunk's miniscule N-butyl mercaptan production.

No one can tell me my blog posts aren't well researched.

Is it really a skunk I smell? Or am I having a stroke? When I was in my 20s, I generally felt invincible. Nothing was going to make me ill. Except maybe too many vodka and tonics. Now, there are tools like WebMD, which tell you that pretty much everything from a hangnail to a massive head wound are going to cause you to die. Maybe there was no skunk smell at all. Maybe it was a warning signal. Too bad I have no idea of what.

Did the skunk pay its fare, or did it slip under the turnstile? I can't say why, but I think a skunk would pay its fare.

Is the skunk as angry as I am about the impending fare hikes? You bet he is. Who wouldn't be angry? More on that to come in the next #TTIV post.

**

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

Share your commuting stories on the Facebook TTIV site, on Twitter, using hashtag #TTIV, or via email.

Sign up for the blog mailing list by entering your email address in the "Follow By E-Mail" box.