I think the high school population in my neighborhood doubled this year. Today, there were waaaay more kids waiting for the train than last year.
The girls really bother me. They move in little packs of 2 or 3, and will not separate no matter what. So instead of being able to navigate around just one of them at a time, you have to treat them as a single person.
They get on the already crowded train, and then stand on top of each other in the most inconvenient spots possible. Then, as the ride continues, they don’t move with the natural flow of the train car. As other people get on and off, they refuse to separate. As if they weren’t going to the same place.
If they get separated or travel alone, immediately the iPod earbuds go in. Also, oversized sunglasses go on so they can spot their girlfriends without people knowing they’re panicked.
Then there’s the guys. They tend to be a bit more nomadic, however it depends on their race. No, I’m not racist. It’s just an observation. Feel free to disagree. Here we go:
White Guys: They tend to gravitate to the pods of girls. They move solo. If no girls are around, two guys might ride together. Otherwise, they go it alone, or with a minimum of 2 girls. You’ll usually see a group of girls with the token dude standing somewhere near by. Shaggy haircuts and designer t-shirts a must. They come off as way too cool for everyone on the train. Oh and don’t forget the messenger bags
Hispanic Guys: The true nomads. They tend to do their own thing. They’re often the least noticeable because they travel solo, move with the flow of people, and generally don’t get in the way. I relate best to these guys. They just look like they want to be left alone…like me. As if they haven’t had their second cup of coffee just yet…like me again. By the way, what do Mexican guys use in their hair to make it so slicked back? What ever it is, it’s at the peak of slickness early in the morning.
Black Guys: Always have a wing man. They tend to travel in pairs. More often than not, one tends to be much taller than the other. There’s very little talking. Almost telepathically, they set up position in the doorways. They never move, even when the doors open. Would simply turning their bodies 90 degrees to let people on and off work? Of course! Will it happen? Not likely. They’re easy to spot because they have those Nike sports bags that have the rope cords that cinched the bag shut at the top. The guy could be 6 feet of torso, yet the bag cords are always long enough to let the bag hit them near the ass.
Only about 8 or 9 more months till summer vacation.
As you know onNYTurf.com runs a subway map service and you also know in recent days news broke of some sort of deal between the MTA and Google for creating some better NYC area transit mapping. We have been after this information for several months already, and are still waiting.
Last month, 
SUBWAYblogger 