I was only about ten minutes into my long walk to work and I was already exhausted. Now, normally, I’m a hardcore pedestrian (the ability to walk anywhere is still one of the primary reasons why I live in NYC), but things are a bit different in the winter. It wasn’t always the case; I got hit by a cab a few years back but walked it off, not realizing that it sorta broke my leg a tiny (its…. a long story, so wait for the comic book adaptation). I’ve spoken with several folks that have broken their bone and they too say that even after its long healed, it still aches during cold temperatures.
So yeah, there I was walking up 4th Ave in Brooklyn, and in pain. Normally, listening to video game music will sooth the soul, but even the soundtrack the Sonic 2 via my iPod wasn’t doing the trick. But at 14th St, I noticed this guy leaving his house, he sees me and asks a question, I pull out his headphones to hear what he has to say, and five minutes later I’m riding shotgun. His name was Adam.
A few minutes later, we’re parked at a designated carpool stop and asking folks walking up the street if they need a ride into the city. About five minutes after that, there’s four of us, packed in a small coup, making our way to the Manhattan Bridge.
Adam is a freelance sound guy who’s just wrapping up a gig on a reality tv show for the E channel. The other guy, who also happens to be the other Matt, works for the Gap in the print ad department, and who just moved here from San Francisco (today’s his second day at his new job). The lone girl is Monica, who’s a associate producer for the Geraldo Rivera show. And I guess along with myself, the car was filled was a pretty interesting mix of the media savvy.
The car ride was quite pleasant, mostly due to the conversations that arose from questioning each other’s backgrounds. Rivera’s mustache was discussed quite a bit, though my favorite comment was from Adam when he spoke about the show he’s working on, which tries to mend broken relationships. He talked about this one guy who’s a juggler, plus a comedian, which led me to ask if it was a Coney Island personality. And to that, the response was “I don’t think so… he didn’t smell like cabbage or anything.” Adam obviously knows his carny folks…
My original plan was to take the LIRR at Atlantic Ave to Jamaica in Queens, then transfer to a Penn Station bound train, but I would later find out that the stations are packed, and there are some pretty massive delays going on. So obviously, I really lucked out. All because of a guy who thought giving random strangers a lift would be “fun”. And all this proves that New Yorkers, for the most part, have their shit together in the event of the unknown (as also proven by the black out from a few years back, and of course, 9/11). Though I still have no idea as to what I’m gonna do when work is over…. Plus, I can’t wait for those “I survived the transit strike of 2005″ t-shirts!
