further public transportation sundries

[rm]

The M106 and M96 share stops on the West Side and people often get confused between the two.

Boarding the bus today the driver said, "This goes to 106th," as if I were a likely party to get confused.

"I know," I said."

"Oh you just didn't look --"

"racist?" I cut him off, swiped my card and found a damn seat.

*

On 100th and Madison I saw a man in white tie walking a daschund. It was lovely.

Comments

[askeladden.livejournal.com]

Last night, coming home from Brooklyn at about 11:55 pm, I observed three ostentatiously well dressed middle-aged white men in the A train. Tailored suits in black, blue, and olive green, huge spangly wrist watches, tight-looking leather shoes -- except for the guy with the gold bracelet, who was wearing black loafers without socks. They were speaking in low tones to each other; I couldn't hear any words, but the intonation sounded Italian. All three kept wiping their noses, but they weren't acting coked up. They kept glancing around the train with an air of indulgent magnanimity, like they were very important people, honoring us with their presence. A boy who looked to be about ten made an impatient "give me some room" gesture at the man on the end, who was forcing everyone else on the bench to sit all crammed together while a good three feet of space was unoccupied on his other side.

He took this gesture as a playful swipe, and leaned over to knock knuckles with the kid. The kid was annoyed, but after he got his message across and the three men moved down to the end of the bench, he kept leaning over and knocking knuckles with the man, over and over, and giggling hysterically. The man bore it with good grace, still smiling his expensive, beatific smile.

I got out at 168th street, and they stayed on, so I don't know what their eventual destination was, but presumably it was somewhere in Upper Manhattan. Who were these guys? What were they doing in my working-class Dominican neighborhood at midnight? Were they mob flunkies or just clueless foreign businessmen? Were they here for the pope? How can anyone wear loafers without socks? Mystery abounding.

[rm.livejournal.com]

How can anyone wear loafers without socks?

This was actually the clue to me that they were Italian.

[askeladden.livejournal.com]

{shudder}

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

Or stuck in the 80s.