It’s good to be in New York. Years ago, I was traveling here often enough to start keeping a MetroCard in my wallet year-round. The card is so useful to have on hand, and so noticeably unnoticeable in its thinness, that I was never tempted to remove it from my wallet.
These days I’m in NYC less frequently, but still I haven’t considered ditching my MetroCard. It’s not only the inconvenience of buying a new one for each trip. When I open my wallet and pull out that blue and yellow card, it still gives me a little jolt of happy energy to be here, to know my way around, and to feel familiar, if not native.
All transit systems have issues, but for me New York’s subway works great, and is so far ahead of transit in Chicago and other US cities that I never take it for granted. Nearly every trip I’ve ever taken on the NYC subway has been to or from someplace exciting. Being here it still feels like an adventure. When I’m not here, seeing the MetroCard in my wallet reminds me of what I love about the city, makes me look forward to coming back.
sabbatiblog 