Dad Takes the Subway! (Part 1)

For years, my Dad has lived in the Bronx and worked in Manhattan. And for all of that time, he has been driving to work. Geographically, it's a very small distance, probably no more than 12 miles, but as anyone who has driven in Manhattan can attest - that can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours of stressful driving.

As if that isn't fun enough, there's the parking. And the alternate side/street cleaning days/hours when he has to go outside to move his car temporarily (and move it back later). And the car being vandalized while being parked (sideview mirror knocked off, scraped and banged up by passing cars and parked cars). And once even being towed, while he was parked legally.

Anyone who lives or works in NYC figures it out pretty quickly - it does not pay to have or use a car here.

For years I have been touting the greatness of the NYC subway and suggesting he give it a try. But he claimed he wouldn't know where he was going and he'd get lost. (And though he did not say it, I'm sure the idea of going from the privacy of his own little bubble to the shared personal space of public transportation was also a big deterrent.) But every so often, I would tell him how fun and relaxing the subway is, and that you never know what you're going to encounter - it's always an adventure.

So imagine my surprise when, out of nowhere a few weeks ago, he told me that he was thinking of taking the subway!

This delighted me to no end. My Dad! On the subway! How hilarious!!!

I left him a voice mail - "Hey Dad, I have an idea, why don't we do 'Take your Father to work day?' But instead of me taking you to visit my job, I'll help you commute to yours! First, I'll show you how to buy a MetroCard, figuring out what deal is best for you. Then I will show you how to swipe it at the turnstiles. We'll figure out what stop you need and which exit is best. It will be fun!"

But lo and behold - he had already done it without me!

I was so amused by this, I tweeted it:

My Dad just called. Apparently he took the subway to work today! All by himself! I have been trying to get him to do that for years. Go Dad!

But I quickly realized why this might be a bad thing when I received this voice mail:

"Hello how are you? It's just me calling to say hello. I just got off the train and got in the car so I want to give you an update on that. And I believe, according to the maps I saw, is it the G train line that goes by where you live? G line? Ok. I'll be talking to you later. Hope you're well. Take care."

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It's just a matter of time before he realizes which stop is mine and pulls a "pop in". Though I think I'm safe for now, since the G doesn't run into Manhattan and he hasn't figured out how to even *get to it* yet!

Way to go, Dad. I'm really proud of you!