42nd Street

Yesterday was a perfectly clear winter day—just right for exploring the city. I began on foot on 42nd Street on the West side and followed that road all the way to the UN building on the East River. I came across the 42nd Street Flea Market and got a good deal on two winter hats with “No tax! No tax!” Come to think of it, I’ve never actually purchased a winter cap in my life. But here in NY it is a necessary commodity. I immediately donned my five-dollar white knit cap. Now I looked like a true New Yorker, and my ears thanked me.

I ventured to Bryant Park, which was a spot on my to-do list. Lo and behold, there was a huge Christmas bazaar going on in the park - lots of craft booths and Christmas lights and people doing their last-minute shopping. I have such luck! After a while, it seemed a bit too crowded, so I bought a hot apple cider and proceeded up 42nd past the New York Public Library. The views of the Chrysler Building are pretty good from that standpoint. I think just about everyone else on 42nd Street took the same photo that I did yesterday!

After walking down to the UN grounds and back through a neat residential area built in the 1920's called Tudor City, I headed to the subway station at the library so I could head to Brooklyn—to the JC Penney store closest to Manhattan. They had a bracelet on sale for over 60% off that I wanted to look at. It would only be on sale from 6pm to midnight yesterday, so I timed my trip to get there about 45 minutes before the sale started.

It had been a while since I had a subway fiasco. I guess I was due. I wound my way through the long tunnels to the D train and got on. It was 4:30 pm. The train didn’t move for several minutes. Finally the conductor announced that there was a stalled train ahead and that we’d be moving “momentarily.” (Why does this happen every time I intentionally get on a train to Brooklyn? Whenever I accidentally get on a train going to Brooklyn, it runs right on schedule.)

Twenty minutes later they announced that there was no telling how long the delay would continue. I waited a few more minutes before crossing the platform to the crowded F train, like everyone else on the D. I knew the F went to Brooklyn, but not sure where in Brooklyn. So while crammed between people standing just inside the door, I studied my laminated map (I don’t leave home without it). At first I thought it looked do-able, so I stayed on. Finally I decided that the transfer would be too complicated, so I jumped off before the doors shut.

I went up and over to the other side of the track to get on the uptown D train. While there, I noticed the previously stalled D train pulling out. Drat! I’d just missed it. I went back to the other side and got on the downtown D. We left a couple minutes later but the train was traveling pretty slowly. At the first stop I debated whether to stay on or get off. I decided to give this train one more chance. But the train kept crawling to a complete stop between stations. Who knows how long it would take to get to my destination. Finally, at 4th Street I got out and decided that JC Penney wasn’t meant to be.

This was where the real fiasco began. I was in a strange subway station. There were signs for the C train, but I never found a C platform. Signs didn’t seem to lead where you’d expect them to. I had to exit the subway system to talk to the man in the booth. He said “Take the L to 8th” or something like that and told me which stairs to go down to get to the L platform. I went there and couldn’t find any train heading uptown. So I started navigating the tunnel maze in search of any uptown train—a 1/9, an A/C, a D—anything. After running around in circles I finally found a 2/3 express and got on. Whew. An hour had passed since I’d first gotten on the D to Brooklyn. It was great to get home and have dinner.

I don’t think of it as a waste of an hour. I look at it this way: that hour saved me 149 dollars that I would’ve spent on a bracelet. :)