Tag: Times Square

When you need a restroom on 42nd Street…

I am something of an expert on NYC restrooms.

Okay, that is probably not true. But I am very good at finding restrooms, and I am very good at remembering where they are for future moments of need. You laugh, but when you live in Brooklyn and you’re wandering Manhattan, out-of-town friends in tow, knowing where to find a restroom can be pretty important. This means, of course, that I have a few favorite restrooms scattered across the city, and today I’m going to share two of them.

Continue reading

Subway art

I wrote recently about some of the joys and frustrations of commuting, but I didn’t mention one of my favorite things about the NYC subway system: the art. I was reminded of it when riding the B train from Brooklyn to Manhattan this week. As the train leaves the Dekalb stop, before it crosses the Manhattan Bridge, there is an art piece to the right of the train—an animation given motion by the movement of the train.

At (and in that case, between!) stations throughout the city, there are fun and thoughtful works of art. Spotting them as the train pulls in or as you wait on the platform can make a long commute far more interesting. The first time I noticed the grimy mosaics of steam trains on the Grand Central 4/5/6 platform was magical, even if I did wish they were a bit cleaner.

Continue reading

A soft spot for Times Square

I have a perhaps unnatural and strange soft spot for Times Square. I can (and do) groan about it with the best of New Yorkers, but I’ve had one or two magical moments there and so while I avoid it at all costs at peak tourist times, I can’t say that I totally hate it.

Most of my positive associations come from late night strolls after catching a show nearby, but one has to do with a particular night after a choir rehearsal a few years ago. Our concert was going to be held at a church right near Times Square, and so I passed through on my way to the subway after dress rehearsal. It was about ten o’clock at night, and pouring rain, and cold. The few people stupid enough to be in Times Square at ten on a Wednesday night (yes, some of the stores are still open then—who knew?) were huddled in doorways or under awnings.

Continue reading

New Year’s Eve at Penn Station

Between time with my family this past week and traveling back to NYC on New Year’s Eve, I’ve been a bit too busy to come up with anything interesting to say about the new year of 2014 (but if you missed my Thanksgiving and Christmas posts, anything I’d write now would be in a similar vein). So instead, here’s an anecdote from last New Year’s Eve.

I’m a friendly person. This sometimes means I’m one of those people who strikes up unlikely conversations. On New Year’s Eve 2012, my unlikely conversation happened in the bathroom at Penn Station. I’d just gotten off a 7.5 hour train ride and was about to get on the subway for nearly an hour to get home, so I was willing to make the time to stand in the bathroom line. The woman in front of me, a slightly shorter than me (harder than you’d think) woman about my age, looked at me, and I made the mistake of smiling. I’ve been in NYC for years now and I still haven’t mastered the cool, indifferent gaze.

Continue reading

© 2024 Noted in NYC

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑