Take the Train It May Actually Smell Better...

Do you like to cook?  If so then you know the smell that onions make as they brown in the skillet.  Smells great and unmistakeable.  Nothing has that smell except a cab driver that has neglected a bath for about a week.

I rode back in a cab from LaGuardia recently and was great with a very friendly driver that had an unmistakeable odor.  It was so bad that even with the window open and breathing through my mouth it was still unbearable!

The great thing about the train is that you can get up and move cars if there is anything you don't like you just change cars.  That can be expensive in a cab since the 1st block costs you $2.25.  A number of our posts talk about the joys of the train and I really don't think that we can over emphasize how great the subway is in NYC.  Sure you will find your fair share of homeless on the train but you don't have to smell them for long and there is plenty of space to get away.

Avoid the onions and ride the rails!

You should try...

How many times did you hear your mom say that when you were growing up. If you are like me you heard it every time you were about to leave the house. It was always a good idea then but it is even more important now living in the city.

Living in the suburbs I was always about a five minute car ride from a bathroom because every gas station and fast food joint will let you use their bathroom.  Here it is a whole new story. There are not many places to stop in and use the bathroom. Most the bathrooms here have large signs that say FOR CUSTOMERS ONLY!

Beyond the lack of bathrooms available to the public is the fact that you can't just stop the train when you need to go like you can pull your car over. These two factors together make it apparent that my mom was right, you should always try before you leave because you don't want to have to use the subway station bathroom.

If you are in the city and do need a place to go there is an app for that. Check out Sit or Squat for ratings on the cleanest bathrooms around you.

Anything goes.

After spending some time in this city wheather on the trains and the sidewalk you quickly adjust to the odd.  There is a never ending string of strange.  A great example is the annual "No Pants Day" (If you think I am lying check it out:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Pants_Day).  If you see enough weird it begins to become normal.  I'm not sure if this is good or bad that's probably another post for another blog but either way come and see it for yourself.  This city accepts everyone doing anything. Step out of your shell and embrace the strange.  You may overcome some of your own fears!

Oh, I will not comment on my participation in the No Pants Day!  Something has to be a mystery...