NYC Subways

The subway in New York City was on my mind even before we arrived. I was really dreading it and a good bit afraid of it. But it has become one of my favorite activities because there is so much to observe and learn on the subway. The Roosevelt Island Subway is deeper underground than any other subway. It has 1 short escalator climbing out and then 2 really long and steepescalators. One day the steep ones were not working. Roosevelt Island has many handicapped people on the island, some who live in government subsidized housing. Often when we walk up these escalators I wonder what these handicap individuals do when the escalator is not working. Some of the subways are hot and some are cold. The waiting area is always stuffy and humid. The schedules change on holidays and weekends. In rush hours there are one right after another coming from Manhattan because of people coming home from work and it is the same with people going into the city.The people on the subway are really interesting. Some are asleep, some reading a book and many with their MP3 players in their ears. Most make no eye contact and there is hardly ever anyone chatting.
One day the subway was pretty full and there were 2 ladies standing upholding on to a rail and reading a book. It is such a fast pace in this city and New Yorkers are hurried and rushing. I wonder if most of them are task oriented and they spend so much time traveling that they don't seem to waste even their time riding on the subway. Many are asleep and they will have their eyes closed and then the subway stops and up they come. They must be counting the number of times the subway stops. I even saw one guy so asleep that his mouth was open. Is he still riding around New York City??? I hardly ever see anybody eating on the subway but of course they are rather jerky. Some people get on the escalator and ride and then some walk on down the escalator. And it is an unspoken code of ethics that if you just want to ride then you stand on the right side to let others pass. We did a mixture of ride, walk until one day we missed the F subway by just seconds and had to wait about 15 minutes until the next one came. Now we walk rather briskly down the escalator. The subway going to Flushing is on top of the ground like a train and actually goes right by the Shea Stadium, new and old. There was construction on this line which slowed it down. And when you get off the subway in Flushing there are vendors on the sides of the street something I haven't noticed yet anywhere else. On some subways the conductor announces the next stop one time, some are two times and on some subways there don't even announce it. Those in a deep sleep must just ride around New York City!!! When the buzzer goes off watch out cause that door is closing whether you are in or not. There is always a security guard in the waiting area which has helped me to like them even more and remove my fears.
I must say that I think when I leave New York City I will miss the subways, something that I once feared. Once again, God continues to teach me to just trust HIM, and that I am wasting my time fearing when He has it all in the hollow of His hands.