Happy Summer to all and....

Nothing in the least bit new or exciting to report. I am at home today and want to say 'hi' to all my old friends from here. (yes, still employed..luckily).

Still a terrible blogger. Still going through the "stuff"..Getting through it. Trying to.
With the official start to summer here, we New Yorkers on the East Side got a very nice surprise. I actually rated it one of the top 3 experiences I've had living in the city. N. didn't at all like that, as he said, "well what about meeting me?". I told him that was the top of the 3, but this new discovery is the 2nd.
This new discovery might solve my dilemma of how to commute since I have a subway phobia. This might save N.'s sanity from having to drive me, while the poor guy has some sanity left. From here on we will call him Saint N., because frankly I don't know how he has put up with what he has.

So what is the new discovery you ask? I bet you'll never guess. Only someone as strange as myself would get so excited about such a new way to get to work.

It is....the East River ferry. And for this and next week, it is totally free. So if you're here try it out.

Maybe you'll see what I mean. The faces of misery and depression you used to see every day on the subway are now replaced by smiles. That's right- I said smiles. During the morning commute. And wait 'til you see how happy everybody looks on the evening way home. There are smiling babies all over the ferry, eyes amazed by the water. You'll never hear them cry on the ferry, in fact they fall fast asleep by the time they're off. So will you maybe, if you're not amazed by the views. The rocking motion relaxes you. It's more like you're on a vacation, rather than commuting to your job.
Then there's the air. Fresh, invigorating air replaces the toxic, Lord-knows-what air and terrible smells you breathe in the subway.

And then the most surprising thing to see on a transit commute.. People striking up conversations with strangers. Everyone so happy, relaxed and amazed with how fast the little ferry moves, start talking with one another. Business men waving at babies, trying to get them to wave back.

The last day I took the ferry, the free ride surely caught on. The waits were longer. In fact, I could have walked all the way home in the time it took. But that's what happens when anything is offered free in this city. The wait didn't matter though. Apparently not to anyone on the boat either. Commuters were feeling and acting like tourists. The sun was shining on our faces. People were laughing.
Smiling in open air freedom on their way home.