Subway Stress

Every major world city has a subway system. I have been from Boston to Barcelona to Bejing and have mastered the subways, often in a foreign language. But, and a huge but here, then I came to New York City. The New York City subway is by far the most complex in the world not mention that it is antiquated and has a horrible stench. There are trains that are express, there are trains that are local, there are even trains that are express in the lower part of Manhattan but local after Midtown. It takes an adjustment period to truly learn the system. And by learning I mean flying by the stop I needed because I was on the express train and it's only a local stop. But after a month or two, it becomes managable.

Well, that is until today. My coworker Jennifer and I are regulars at the Saturday morning bootcamp across the Brooklyn Bridge. The instructor was being feature on the local Fox news this morning and need participants. She offered a free workout if we would commit to be there at 6:30, so of course we jumped at the chance. Jennifer and I were to meet at the 42nd Street Station on the Downtown platform for the A,C train at 5:50 to head over to Brooklyn for the workout. I, of course, arrive early. At 5:55 the first A train comes along but Jennifer is no where to be spotted on the platform. Weird, I think to myself. Jennifer, also a type A accountant like myself, is rarely late. I start pacing and also receiving weird looks from all the construction workers waiting on the train also. I mean seriously, who wears complete workout gear and is waiting for a train at 6:00 in the morning. In my mind I am formulating a list of where Jennifer might be. The next train finally arrives at 6:07 AM. I decide to get on without Jennifer while the list of possibilities of here whereabouts continues to grow in my head. And then I hear it, "Uptown train to Queens. Next stop 50th Street." OH MY GOSH!!! I, me, RILEY - I'm the idiot here. The doors are already closed and the train is moving forward. I look at the window and see the sign I was standing right beside the entire time I was waiting. It reads "Downtown Train --->." It was a literal Jeff Foxworthy moment - "Here's your sign."

I jumped out of the train as soon as the doors open at the 50th Street Station. It's a local stop, so I have to get out of the subway and cross on the street and pay an additional $2.00 for my downtown ride. Luckily, a C train comes relatively soon which is roughly 6:12. The entire ride I'm frantic and fidgeting constantly, once again receiving unwanted stares. I passionately HATE being late. It seemed like the longest subway ride of my life, but I finally arrived at the High Street Station in Brooklyn at 6:34 and took off in a dead sprint and almost knocked over two bicyclist that were unfortunate enough to be in my way. I arrived at the Fulton Ferry Landing winded to say the least at 6:38. The instructor looks at me and says, "Perfect timing Riley. We are just now getting started. Get right here and start with 25 push ups." I'm so wrapped up in being late that I forget there in a camera there. I look up and there is the camera right on me and my sweaty, frizzy-hair self . All I could think was "I sprinted for this!?!?"