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NYC Transit
Monday, 2005 February 7 - 9:00 pm
What is it about boys and trains?

I'm sure Freud has some ideas about why boys like trains so much. But let's not go down that road. Or I should say, that track.

I really like the subway system in New York. There's the obvious advantage that one doesn't have to drive anywhere, especially after a night of drinking (which, when I'm in New York, is pretty much every night). And I like trains better than taxis because I know in advance exactly how much trips will cost. Those of you who know me probably know that I can't stand uncertainty when it comes to travel; my OCD level goes through the roof.

But what I really enjoy is knowing all the nuances of the subway system. I love knowing where all the trains go, and I love knowing the fastest way to get from Point A to Point B. I love looking at subway maps and schedules, and memorizing things about them. And then I love the payoff when some stranger asks me how to get somewhere, and I can tell him.

I remember when I was in Japan as a kid, I was the same way. There was one train in particular in Yokohama that we rode all the time, the Tokyu Toyoko line. It went from my paternal grandmother's place in Tsunashima to my maternal grandparents' place in Myorenji. (I actually never knew my grandparents' real names when I was a kid; I just called them my Tsunashima grandparents and my Myorenji grandparents.) One of my favorite things to do was to draw a map of that subway line, with different colors for the different stations, with special symbols indicating which stations were served by the express train, and with one extra-special symbol indicating where the train went from underground to above-ground. I probably drew hundreds of those maps.

I found a site with pictures of all the stops! I'll have to save it in case it goes away.

For me, I think it's partly that I just like memorizing things. I've memorized pi to a hundred digits. I've memorized all the czars of Russia. I've memorized all the words to "Bust A Move". Have any of those things ever been useful? No. But I still do it. I'm weird like that.
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Posted by Ken in: life

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Comment #1 from Crouching Hamster (Guest)
2005 Feb 8 - 1:05 am : #
Ken, if it weren't for you, I'd still be standing on the southeast corner of 135th and St. Nicholas Ave waiting for the downtown train.

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