Adventures in Urban Reconnaisance

Yesterday, my friend Dereck told me that I should probably just drive into JFK. Get a ride from someone, hire a limo, whatever. He explained that it probably wasn't worth the hassle of taking the train to the subway to the AirTrain.

He's absolutely right, but it's more fun if you do it my way.

I nearly missed the 4:50 out of New Haven due to traffic near the 91/95 Merge (ah, the Merge...another rant for another time), and therefore had no time to pick up some food or reading materials for the ride. I did have my iPod, but for whatever reason it was only half charged so I fully expected it to die at any moment. Ashley texted me throughout the night, so I wasn't completely bored on my solitary journey. The ride was uneventful, crowded, and the iPod kept playing the same bands (New Order, the Rolling Stones, the Fall, Goldfrapp and Tears for Fears) even though it was on random. I have 30 gigs of music on there and that's all it can find?

The idea that I might actually get used to Grand Central is strange, but I think it might be happening. I think I'm starting to take the place for granted. I didn't even mill around aimlessly enjoying the architecture. I guess I was on a mission.

The 7 line is completely foreign to me. I've taken most of the Manhattan lines at one time or another, but I never go to Queens, so why would I take the 7? The platform is buried deep within the labyrinthine bowels of Grand Central, and I hopped onto a crowded, silent train.

HERE'S WHERE THE FUN BEGINSThere is a transfer! I have to get off the 7 at 45th/Court House Sq. and, according to Trip Planner's directions, "follow the signs" to 23rd St./Ely Ave. to meet the E train. The 7 is elevated at this point, so after getting down from the platform, I begin to follow the signs as instructed. The third sign, not 50 feet from the 7 platform, looks like this.WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Does it mean that I need to start digging? Because there's no subway entrance ANYWHERE around this intersection. Is it behind me? No, that's a bus stop. And, of course, this isn't the best part of town, with those three guys hanging out under a streetlight speaking Russian to each other in hushed tones and a car on fire a ways down one of the side streets. There must be an answer, I thought to myself, so I started to look for one. Eventually, in a very obscure spot on the other side of the road completely, nearly hidden by construction debris, I found a sign that did not point at a patch of sidewalk. I found the station (two blocks and a right turn down the road) and got on another crowded, silent train.

The AirTrain is relatively new and pretty exciting. I kinda felt like I was on a monorail to the future or something. The airport itself was pretty neat, and I made it to the terminal by about 8:30. I made good time, but I think to be safe I'll maybe leave a bit earlier on the day.

I think the airport security guys think I'm a terrorist now. GUYS, I AM NOT A TERRORIST. Maybe a solipsist, but definitely not a terrorist. I got shadowed from the terminal until I got off the AirTrain. I'm just timing out my trip, guys. Plus, if I was casing the place I don't think I'd do it wearing an orange striped scarf. But hey, as long as the place is kept safe, those guys do what they need to do. As long as it doesn't involve me missing my flight in favor of a cavity search, I'm ok with it.

On the way back, I helped a confused young lady with the same signage problem I discussed above, and by the time I got on the 7 to Grand Central I was ready to pack it in. Of course, there were train delays (we sat on the tracks in Norwalk for a good 15 minutes, which was fine except it was after midnight and I really felt like going home) and on the drive home from the train station I saw four tractor trailer trucks imperiled on the highway. Two were involved in a rear-end collision, one was overturned, and one had his trailer blocking the entire width of the highway. It was pretty crazy. That black ice is no joke!

Anyway, that was my trip and it was fun. I'm sure the real thing will be even funner!

On Mass Transit and the Benefits of Urban Reconnaissance

I'm a big fan of mass transit in general. I think it's a much better way of getting around than everyone owning a vehicle, but the way things are set up here in the States it's tough to get around without a car unless you live in a huge metropolitan area, and most citizens of the US do not. I could get into a whole discussion of how stupid it is that I lived next to a train station for five years and never used it because it was either too expensive or the lines never went where I needed them to, but that is neither here nor there.

That said, one of my goals on this upcoming trip is to use mass transit as much as possible, since 1) the UK is well set up for it when compared to America's infrastructure, and 2) I will kill someone if I had to rent a car, what with the whole "other side of the road" situation.

Even the first leg of my journey - the trip to the airport - will be mass transit intensive (to the extent possible in the US). To that end, while checking rail times on the MTA website, I came across this handy-dandy tool.

Trip Planner allows you to enter in your start point and destination within the five boroughs, and it will find you the best route. It gives you a few different choices so you don't have to go near Pelham Bay Park if you don't want to, just in case Robert Shaw and Martin Balsam try to hijack your train.

We'll see how well it works when I do a test run for the purposes of timing and making myself familiar with the route - I rarely go to Queens; I think I went to JFK once when I was a kid and I went to a Mets game, and I've never actually taken the subway out there. What's worse than getting lost on the way to the airport? Who wants to deal with that hassle? In my opinion, a quick recce just makes sense. Adventures in Urban Reconnaisance are most likely forthcoming.

Maybe I'll even take some pictures, who knows...

The Clash Always Knew The Score

I am preparing for my trip. Transatlantic travel is exciting!

Check back for updates on my progress, because there is nothing in the world more interesting than reading some white guy blog about the rationale behind his shoe choices.

In the meantime, the Clash share my sentiments about the homeland in this tune: