IN WHICH We Drive Through the Auto-Shop-Filled Heart of the Bronx, Pay a Man Sixteen Dollars so we can Park Mike's Car, Enjoy a Nutritious Lunch, Make an Important Decision, Navigate the Subway with Good Success, I Take Pictures that now Look Ridiculous, AND - in the Meantime - Make a Three-Dollar Mistake.

We were traveling down the Cross-Bronx, very slowly, being entertained by the man on talk radio, who was soliciting calls from angry, bitter people who hated the Yankees.  I saw that the next exit was for Jerome Street, and I looked down at the parking lot map Mike's mom had given us before we left.  Mike recognized the name from past trips, and he asked me if it was the same Jerome St. that went right by the best parking lot.  And it sure was.

So we got off the "expressway," and turned left, into a strange new world.  I'd been to New York twice before, but never to the Bronx, and not only was our first turn an adventure (why yes, not only do the giant pillars coming down from the highway above serve as the lines in the middle of the road, but the far right lane can apparently be used for travel and parking at the same time), the surroundings were very interesting.  I'd never seen so many mechanic shops in one place, and the signs outside all looked like they hadn't been updated in fifty years.  I can't imagine how they could all make money, but I guess that's only if you make the assumption that working on cars is their only (or even their main) source of income.

Mike had been a little worried that the lot might be full, but as we made the turn (and were quickly let in by a kind motorist, as always happens, in my experience), we saw that it had only reached about 30% capacity.  We were there in plenty of time.  We got a nice spot, unpacked our sandwiches, and sat on the trunk to enjoy them.  Mike turned off his radio, but it was impossible to tell, as we were surrounded by hundreds of Yankee fans enjoying the beautiful weather, all tuned to the same sports-talk station.  As Wesley Willis might say, "There were many fat men in beach chairs - they also drank a lot of beer."

We were done with lunch around 1:30, but the game didn't start until 4.  We had talked on the way down about going down to see the World Trade Center if we had the time, and I brought it up again.  Mike wasn't sure at first - he really didn't want to be late for the game - but he didn't take much convincing to make the most of our two hours.  We found the Yankee Stadium subway station, paid our $1.50 fare, and gazed at the map.  It was confusing.  And the worst part was that once we went inside the gates, there were no more maps.

To skip ahead, that was my biggest problem with the NYC subway system.  There are maps when you buy the tokens, but go inside, and there's nothing.  Nothing on the walls, nothing down on the platforms, nothing when you get off.  There is one map on each car, sure, but there's always someone sitting in front of it, and unless they're asleep, you feel sort of strange getting so close to them and staring.  And if they are asleep, you sure hope they stay that way.

So we got on a train headed toward downtown, but I wasn't sure where we should get off, and I know I didn't want to end up in Brooklyn.

*shudder*

I had heard a lot about Canal Street, so I figured we might as well take a chance there and get off.  This was before I knew there were no maps available outside the train, and we had to actually go out to the street and look around before we figured out we should go another stop or two.  It turned out to be two, as Chambers was the right one.  At least there were a bunch of people outside the stop, lined up at the police barricade, taking pictures.  It was an intense experience, although we were so far back that even with the binoculars, we saw only cranes moving around.  I'd appreciate the two pictures I took more if they didn't have my youngest brother's awards ceremony superimposed on them, upside-down.

In my research yesterday, I discovered something I had forgotten about our last trip to New York City, after the 1998 tickertape parade:

"We were pushed along the street by the force of the crowd, and wound up in front of the World Trade Center, which promised a subway entrance inside.  We went down the stairs, and were presented with the largest number of people I have ever seen in an enclosed space.  The city of Bombay had nothing on the World Trade Center at that point.  We wandered around the building, looking for an exit to the street.  After about ten minutes (and one unplanned and very brief detour into a restricted area), we finally got back out."

And I remember that when we did get out that day, we turned around and looked up.  And up.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

Round SEVEN

NHS Speech

"My View" Editorial

The October Surprise
|  Round 1 |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |
|  11  |  12  |  Final Bell  |

Journey to Jersey II
|  Intro  |  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |
|  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |

Journey to Jersey I
|  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |   6  |  7  |  8  |
|  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |
|  15  |  16  |  17  |  18  |  19  |  20  |

An Epic Saga
|  Act  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |
|  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16  |

Christian Rock Email

Freshman Room Draw
|  Part One  |  Two  |
|  Three  |  Four  |  Five  |