Summer in the city. Inspirational.
Subway train schedule in the summer in the city. Ruthless.
After riding three different uptown trains in an effort to get downtown, this Saturday, I was wiped. Descending the staircase to take the N/R (or as they say - Never / Rarely) I noticed two foreign looking boys asking girls for directions. Girls giggled and said something daft like “we’re tourists and dont know anything.” I wanted to tell the girls to spit out their gum, take off those VonDutch hats and go live out the Y Tu Mama Tambien fantasy.
Reunited on the platform, I confirm for the boys (We’re calling them Gael and Diego because this is my fantasy, my rules) the trains going uptown. We board and sit together and I learn theyre from Brazil studying abroad in Canada. They went to Times Sq last night in search of “a party or a pub” (did you feel your heart just break?). As my stop approaches, I draw them a quick map of the island and circle the Meatpacking District. “Is Meatpacking the name of the pub?” one asks. I told them it was a land of nightclubs. They smiled and poured over the map. As the train left, I saw a tear of joy roll down Diego’s cheek…like a discoteque ball.