A chocolate chip cookie and a Coke

With my daily commute, I tend to see a lot of the same people on a regular basis. Every day I see familiar commuters, subway conductors, bus drivers, MTA Police, workers within Grand Central and even the same homeless people.

There's one particular man I have seen for years. I remember him because I tend to spot him outside of the Zaro's Bakery situated across the hall from the bathroom where I take my daily photo. Often I catch him standing there, just staring through the glass window towards the baked goods. He barely moves. He just stands there, staring. I always assumed he was looking at whatever his most favorite item was, longing for the taste of it again.

(photo taken after I wrote the post - but that's really him, looking in the window I always see him in front of)

Several times I considered asking him if he wanted something from the bakery, but never actually went through with it.

I hadn't seen him in a few weeks, but as I was rushing past that intersection this Tuesday night, there he was, standing and staring into the same window.

I approached him.

"Do you want something from in there?"

I think my speaking to him caught him off guard - because it took him a few seconds to snap out of his stare - and I realized he seemed to be more zoning out towards the window than staring at the items in the window. But after a brief moment, he realized I was speaking to him and responded:

"A chocolate chip cookie and a Coke. Thank you, Ma'am."

He didn't even hesitate in his choice. I guess he likes carbs & sugar as much as I do.

I told him I wasn't sure the bakery sold Coke, but I'd see what I could do.

It was my first time in that Zaro's. I ordered a chocolate chip cookie and a Coke. And after paying an inexplicable $4.85, turned around and left.

As I handed him the bag and told him to take care, I wondered when was the last time he ate, what he ate, and still pondered why of all things he chose a chocolate chip cookie and a Coke. But I wasn't going to ask.

He didn't quite crack a smile but he seemed genuinely surprised by the gesture. He thanked me again, called me ma'am again, and offered me a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a God Bless You.

Then I turned and left because I was overcome with emotion and didn't want to cry.

Something tells me that even if he sees me again, he won't remember me. But that's ok. Because I will remember him. And I'll think about how if I was in his situation I would surely appreciate the random kindness of a passing stranger.

I know it wasn't much but I hope the chocolate chip cookie and Coke were as good as he remembered.

Say it ain't so!!

It's been well documented on this blog just how much I love the Moustache Artist. You know, the anonymous street artist who wrote the word "moustache" beautifully in script across the upper lips of many personalities who appear in ads displayed in the NYC subway system.

In fact, one of the highlights of 2010 was finding two posters that were personalized for me - a thrill I will never forget!

But more recently, I was beside myself with joy when I found and tumblr'd this. It was a cardboard cut out that was tagged not only above ground (breaking his tradition of underground subway poster tagging!) but I saw it just 2 blocks from my apartment. It meant the Moustache Artist was right here! In Greenpoint! The 11222! I may have even passed him on the street and not known it!

Well, I guess the NYPD was hard at work trying to capture this menace to society (don't get me started...) because I received terrible news yesterday - apparently my beloved Moustache Artist was arrested! Many blog readers, friends & twitter followers alerted me to the breaking news. Needless to say, I think this is a terrible injustice. (You can read about it in the Daily News and see what he really looks like. You will also see nothing but support in the comments for the piece!)

And according to Gothamist today, he was made to apologize and say he would 'never do it again'. Well you know what? This blows! For one thing I'm sure he isn't sorry. At least I hope he's not. However, I do believe he will not do it again - I mean, who wants to go to jail?! - and that's the part that blows.

I guess that means this is really over. I will miss those little "moustaches" so much. And not just me, I know many people were a fans of his work, much more so than the ridiculous posters he was defacing. His style was simple and elegant - and he gave me and many other commuters something to smile about on occasion.

So, in honor of Moustache Man and this unfortunate turn of events, I am showing off the moustache photos I took earlier this year that I haven't had time to blog. Here you go:

Farewell, Moustache Artist, I will forever be a huge fan and miss that gorgeous cursive of yours. Even though I know I won't see any more of your work, it will be a long time before I get out of the habit of scanning posters as I walk down a subway platform, hoping to catch a new "moustache". Thank you for brightening mine - and many other commuters - trips on the NYC subway system. Your work will be missed by many.

Stay strong and good luck in court! 

xo

forever your fan, 

*Bitch Cakes*

President of the "Free Moustache Man!" campaign

Update: The Overhead Digital Displays in Grand Central on the 7 Train Platform

You may remember the overhead clocks on the 7 Train platform in Grand Central. I had originally reported back in summer 2008 that one of them needed to be set. How did I know? Because for as long as I had been commuting that way - since March 2008, it said "Set Time and Day".

On August 6, that year, I wrote to the MTA, alerting them to the issue. And on August 8 - just two days later - I was shocked to see they had actually set the time & day! They even wrote to me a week later, thanking me for telling them.

Awesome, right?

Well, that thrill was short lived. 

By November 2009 when we had to set the clocks back for that ridiculous daylights savings time ritual, those clocks didn't change. And when they still hadn't been fixed a month later, I wrote to the MTA in December 2010 to tell them about it. Being obsessive, I continued to monitor the clocks. And it took them 2 months to fix the clocks - but they never even wrote back to me!
 
But on February 9, 2010, I heard back from them regarding the December clock change. I am guessing I only heard back from them, however, because of my blog post.

February 19, 2010 I posted a short blog showing that although the time was fixed, the 3 out of 4 that were out of service had still not been fixed. And I wanted to keep an eye on those that didn't work at all...

02/24/10 Same status - only the rear left clock is operational...

And in early March 2010, it was time for yet another clock change. This time I was shocked - they were set to the right time within a week!

But in that post, on March 19, 2010 I mentioned:

While that's fantastic, it doesn't explain why the displays facing the other direction on that same end of the platform are still not operational. The ones that have been out for well over a year.

It's now December 26th, well over 9 months later. I pass through that station twice a day almost every weekday. And of course I've kept an eye on those clocks over the course of the year, occasionally photographing them...

03/25/10 Only the clock on the rear left is working...

04/21/10 Same situation

04/29/10 Ditto

05/12/10 Still just the rear left clock

05/28/10 Unchanged

06/11/10 Same situation -

06/17/10 On that same side of the platform, but in the opposite direction, facing the escalators, the 2 on the right are working-

But facing the other way, it's still only the one on the rear left that is working -

06/23/10 It's now summer and the rear left one is still the only one working -

07/08/10 This one is on the other side of the platform. And I photographed it because it still lists the "W" train (which is no longer in existence)

The time is right,

but it also lists the "V" train, too (also no longer in existence) -

07/20/10 The rear left one is still the only one working -

08/08/10 It's now August and still just the one on the rear left is working...

09/03/10 Still just the rear left display is working -

I didn't photograph it for about a month when I noticed something interesting in October. Care to guess what changed? If you guessed they fixed any one of the non-functional clocks, you'd be WRONG. Because now...

10/12/10 NONE OF THEM ARE WORKING!

11/19/10

12/09/10 In fact, no displays are working facing the other way too!

and last week, 12/21/10, still all the clocks are out of service -

I mean, at this point, they've been out of service for nearly two years. Two years! Obviously they don't care. And I'm not going to waste the time writing to them again since they are not interested in replying *or* resolving this issue.

Now, I realize this is not the most pressing issue the MTA is facing, nor should it be at the top of their to do list. However, these things have not been working for over a year! It's the neglect that bothers me the most - This is just one tiny piece of the MTA puzzle but it shows how things deteriorate and get worse and worse. And I think this one clock situation speaks volumes about the whole system - I know it's been said before but we really do keep paying more and more for less and less service. I will never understand how this agency does things or justifies itself.

Thoughts from the 7 Train

I take the 7 Train everyday, just one stop. One 4 - minute ride in that steel box transports us from Long Island City in Queens to magnificent Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. And since the boroughs are separated by water, that means only one thing - we're going under water - under the East River.

Now, if I let myself think about this little fact while I am on the train, it can terrify me, so I try not to. But I do often consider this - I ask myself what if something catastrophic happened that forced us all to come together on this particular train ride? What if we were stuck in that tunnel and had to escape that train, making our way down the tracks on foot for our very survival???

And then I look around at my fellow passengers and wonder:

• Who would step in and try to take on the leader role? (certainly not me!)
• Who would panic/scream/faint? (I hope I wouldn't, though I might pee)
• Who has military or survival training? (I sure don't!)
• Who has a flashlight? (My grandpa always carries one!)
• Whose instruction would I trust and listen to? (Call me sexist, but probably a man 40 or older)
• Who would I need to help? (an older person? a pregnant woman or someone with children?)
• Who would assist me? (again, I'm sexist - I'd be looking for a physically strong man to help me since I'll be in something impractical like a tight skirt and heels... as usual)
• Who would I buddy up with? Or would I try to go it alone, just following the 'leader'?

As I scan the faces of these random strangers in the subway car, those thoughts and others occur to me. And I try to imagine who would be in what role. But fortunately, before I know it, the train is pulling into the station. We were not forced to come together, fighting for our lives with a magnificent story to tell. We all simply go on with our mundane little days. And I'm relieved for that.

I can't be the only one that has these thoughts, can I?

Another Open Letter to the Wild Haired Man from the 7 Train

Dear Wild Haired Man from the 7 Train,

Hi! How are you? Do you remember me? I know it's been a while. I used to see you on the 7 Train most mornings. But as suddenly as you appeared, you vanished.

Months went by before I saw you again - and it was in Grand Central, filling your water bottle from the fountain. Remember that? Probably not.

Well, since then, the weird thing is I've seen you twice - but not on the 7 Train or in Grand Central...

Coming home from work one night, I had taken the B62 from Long Island City bound for Greenpoint. I don't remember much about the trip at all - except that you got on at Greenpoint Ave. With a guitar! Where were you going? Are you in a band? WTF?

We had that moment on the bus - the "Oh, hey, it's YOU again" moment. And as usual, you just sort of half-heartedly smiled and nodded at me. I was getting off the bus very soon after you boarded and I wondered "Should I say something to him? What would I say?" And I didn't say anything. I just exited the bus.

Then, back in August, when I was off for birthday week, I was meeting my friend Amy at Bliss Cafe in Williamsburg for lunch. And who should I see pushing a yellow bicycle west on North 6th Street but YOU! And even though it was about 98 degrees you STILL had that crazy freaking beard and wild hair going on! I couldn't believe it! Even more shocking - you weren't alone! You were with a woman! She was significantly older than you, so I'm guessing she was your Mom, your boss or maybe you just really dig cougars. Anyway, it was weird because we had that moment - where we saw each other - and it took us a second for it to click who we were. That sometimes happens when you run into people 'out of context', you know? But come on, who looks like us? We're both pretty unforgettable. We knew who each other were. We didn't acknowledge the encounter, but we knew.

So what's your deal, wild haired man? I used to think you were homeless. Now I know you have a job (at least I'm pretty sure, since I saw you board my Metro North train one day). I know you bike (or do you? you were only pushing it, not riding it). I know you have friends (or at least a Mom or a boss or a much older lady-friend). And now I know you play guitar (unless it was just a prop to pick up chicks or perhaps you were bringing it to someone?). Actually, I guess I don't know anything, really. But when I see you again, I'm going to say something. And you better do more than just nod and awkwardly smile at me.

xo
*Bitch Cakes*

Return of the Moustache Man to Long Island City

I've written about the Moustache Artist on this blog numerous times. And many of my friends and readers have sent me "Moustache" sightings at various subway stations throughout the transit system. I've enjoyed all your notes and photos, thank you. But unless I stumble upon it myself, it just doesn't have the same thrill. I love the aspect of surprise and delight when I'm walking down a subway platform, glancing at the posters and I spot one, and another, and another.

And that's exactly what's been happening in Long Island City again! It appears my sharpie carrying friend is back and has been hitting many of the posters on the Vernon-Jackson platform!

This one is extra special - not only is there a moustache, but there's a unibrow!

Welcome back, Moustache Artist. I missed you!

I knew you'd be back :)
xoxoxo