Ah, New York City public transit. Always a friend or foe, depending on a number of factors:

1. Whether you forgot your coffee on your kitchen counter that morning.

2. How tired/pissed/hungry you are.

3. How badly you just want to get the hell home.

I was waiting on the NQ platform at 59th Street/Lex on Friday, where I experienced, not for the first time, what happens when you have to wait more than 6ish minutes for a train. For the first few, everyone can usually keep it together. Then you start seeing people look into the bowels of the platform every 30 seconds for the train that JUST ISN’T COMING. (No, those red and yellow lights aren’t from the train, they’re just a reflection of one coming in the opposite direction.)

Pretty soon there’s panic. Like when the N finally came after 15-20 minutes, and there was another ten minute delay. After the same recording of “Stand clear of the closing doors, please” sounded three times to no avail, I heard a guy say under his breath, “Just close them. Please.”

It’s fair to say this guy was about to reach his breaking point, but really, it could have been me if I had been a little bit more of 2 and/or 3.

Thank you for riding with New York City transit.  Please keep our subway system clean, and litter-free..