Student Journalism @ Barton Community College

While traveling through New York City, I and a few staff members, along with our instructor- Peter Solie, experienced several means of public transportation. The most interesting of those means being the subway. I have to admit; we were only there for a short day and a half, but during that time I felt as if I had learned everything I needed to know about it.

 

  1. Run.

• Run from your hotel room, run down the stairs into the station, run to your platform, run into the car, run out of the car. (New Yorkers don’t do anything slowly, especially when it comes to getting where they need to go.)

 

  2. Look bored.

• You are trying to survive this thing right? Don’t act like a tourist. Keep your head down. Read a book, listen to music, feed your cat… anything to make you look like you’ve done this 1000+ times.

 

  3. Stand your ground.

• Claim an area as your own. Morning trains are packed, and people are trying to get to work and school on time. This could honestly mean anything, so be prepared to battle smelly bodies and getting to know strangers in a way you never expected. (I once rode with a man’s crotch pressed up against my leg for thirty minutes, but I refused to shrink back.)

 

  4. Bring nose plugs.

• I just mentioned smelly bodies above, right? Well, this goes for all of New York too. Be prepared for the smells. Smelly smells. Everywhere. Always.

 

  5. Don’t speak.

•  Along with looking bored and standing your ground, be as unpleasant as humanly possible. Don’t smile- you won’t be smiled at and definitely don’t try and strike up a conversation with the granny next to you. Even the homeless man throwing punches at ghosts will look at you like YOU’RE the crazy one.