Ok, so can we discuss how f-ed up the past couple days of subway ridership have been?

Why is it that crappy service always comes in waves?  You never just have one random day where things are messed up.  It always seems like it has to come in 3 or 4 day in a row bursts.  It’s like the MTA is trying to test your limits or something.

Monday:  A bazillion degrees out.  Subway is hot sick.  The morning run was just a pain in the ass because the train took forever to get there.  Like 15 minutes at least.  The evening run was way worse.  The trains were so late, that they decided to have my local train skip a bunch of stops.  Unfortunately, one of those skipped stop a one that I had to get off.  Damn.  So I had to get off well in advance and wait for the infamous train “directly behind this one.”

Tuesday:  Same slow ass wait in the morning.  Evening…well…just shoot me.  By far the worst day this week (so far).  A slight drizzle as I approached the subway entrance. Unfortunately, I did not have an umbrella, but not a big deal since I made it to the train before it got bad.

Well, the trains were apparently very late again.  On the plus side, I got there as the train arrived, but there were already people who had been waiting for 20 minutes.  By complete miracle, I made it onto the train.  Everything was going swimmingly until the dreaded “this train will be going express…”  Again, my stop was getting skipped.  Shit.

We all unload, only at this point there was virtually no space whatsoever to even fit on the platform!  Express train after express train kept dumping more and more people on the other side, so it was getting pretty dangerous.  Clearly, I was not getting anywhere near the next train, so I headed for street level thinking I could catch the bus. 

I get to the stairs and look up.  It’s pouring buckets!  I get up to street level and there are people tucked under overhangs everywhere trying to get out the rain.  About 400 other people thought they could catch the bus too.  People were litterally fighting to get on the bus.  At one point, the driver was screaming at a guy to get off the bus because there was no more room.  5…yes FIVE buses come and go before I can get on.  At this point, I’m pretty soaked.

Get to my stop and the doors open.  It’s raining even harder!  This was probably the heaviest rain I’ve seen in years.  It was simply intense.  It was like getting hit with a fire hose.  So I ran for the bus shelter.  It was coming down so hard that the rain was bouncing back up and hitting me in the knees.  Just 20 feet away was a Duane Reade.  I eventually made a mad dash (soaked on the way) to get in the store.  There were already 15 people camped out in there waiting.  Eventually, I figured I couldn’t get any wetter, so I just went for it.

Today:  Where the hell was the train this morning?  It was already crowded on the platform when I got there, but I got a standing spot up near the edge.  Using my secret tip, I got a good spot. Train finally comes, and the doors open.  I squeeeeeeeeze in, and a woman gets in behind me.  She’s one of those “Can you please move in!” people.  She’s flipping out, but she did make it in.  Then, she decides to step off.  She literally looks me in the eye and says, “I can’t believe you got on this train in front of me.  That’s some nerve!”  I gave her a shoulder shrug just to piss her off.

Now, was I out of line?  NO!  Sure, she was there a lot longer than me, but the doors opened up right in front of me, and I got on.  Snooze you lose, bitch.

So then we get down the line, and the train goes express. Bitches.