Of iPods and Homeless

New York City Subway

That would make a neat title for a ‘Freakonomics’ chapter but unfortunately I don’t have any groundbreaking logic linking the sale of iPods to partner preferences of the homeless. The link is in my head. Of images from my daily commute.

The subway system here in NYC is no different qualitatively from others that I have used previously. It does a great job of getting you around and that’s what counts. But I am not too sure I can say the same thing about New Yorkers who travel on these trains. They have got to be one of the most interesting bunch of commuters in the world!! (I am excluding the Indian train ride of course:)).

The white iPod earplug (literally and factually on every third person, depending on which coach you sit,) is as ubiquitous as the Chinese American girl with the white American guy!! The homeless (shouting for attention) put on a sincere attempt to convince fellow commuters that they have never done this before and that the money is only for the night’s supper and not drugs. The obnoxious evangelic (yes I said it!) screaming his lungs out and passing the most crude judgments about other peoples lives (big collective sigh of relief when he stepped out). The young kid who doesn’t think much of practicing his dance moves as others jostle for leg space! The sketch artist who kept looking at my shoe and drew god knows what (I didn’t move my leg for 3 stops under pressure!!). The musicians. The nerds. The Tourists. The ‘Straight Off to gym’ types. The Wall Street guys. The Asian guys with tattoos and the queer guys with bindi! The blondes:) The Latinas:) Its never a dull ride….except maybe Monday mornings!