David & Shelley: My weekend in the City, part 2

The second day of my workshop was pretty much like the first. I learned from talking to the other women there that many of them were from Bergen County, New Jersey, just like me. Unlike me, though, they all either drove in or took the ferry. Some of them even stayed overnight Saturday in a hotel. (I rode the bus in and then took the subway). I also learned that once they got into Manhattan, they took cabs! I was so surprised to find out that I was the ONLY one in the whole workshop who rides the subway! It never even occured to me to take a taxi when I could take the subway for under $2. They said they don't use the subway because a) they don't know how to navigate it and b) they're scared of scary subway people (like me, I guess)? Anyway, although I felt a little like "ghetto girl" all of a sudden, I am perfectly happy to ride the subway and have never felt unsafe...

UNTIL, after the workshop. I went to get on my subway train (the E train) only to find NO ONE else on the train, anywhere. I was completely alone. Eventually, before we left the station, a few stragglers came in but they didn't get on the car I was in. SO, I'm sitting there all alone thinking, this could be bad. Some freak could get on my car and no one would hear my screams or anything. I found myself hoping that someone would get on my car but then dreading it, too...not knowing WHO might get on with me. (Don't worry, I took a picture). Eventually, someone did get on at the next stop and luckily, he seemed relatively normal by NYC standards. I flashed my biceps a couple times to let him know I was the Shellminator and that seemed to do the trick. He didn't mess with me.

In addition to feeling frightened on the subway, I got lost! I was clearly on the E train. It said E train on the outside and on the inside of the train. However, they decided to make it an F train which goes to Queens which is completely opposite from where I needed to go to catch my bus. PLUS, the World Trade Center station where I caught the train is ONLY an E train station. NOT F, B, D, V or any other letter of the alphabet! Why they would do this, I have no idea. At least I clued in before we got to Queens. Me and a whole bunch of other people jumped off at Rockefeller Plaza, scratching our heads and very perplexed. I was able to ride back one stop but then had to sprint through Times Square to catch my bus. (No time to look for the Naked Cowboy).