I had the pleasure of working for a week in Los Angeles and as I explored, it was only natural to try to make observations about my surroundings and life in that fair city. My hotel was in Studio City, near Universal Studios. The location was nice and not far from Hollywood.
Los Angeles is very different from NYC, of course. My favorite difference is the subway system. It is sparkling clean, the cars are new and it costs $3/day to ride as much as you want. Also, no one uses it. I rode it a couple of times and it was a constant pleasure to ride.
Of course, the MTA trains are nothing like this. Crowded, noisy, rats on the tracks, two bucks per ride (or $7 per day), trash everywhere and liquids on the platform in the most unexpected places... All that aside, it is far more useful than LA's system. It takes you more places and is far more flexible.
If you didn't know, the past three days have been subway-free, thanks to our Mayor, MTA Employees and a general lack of civility on this earth. The issues aren't really that important to me to discuss. It was a general mess of historic proportions.
Of course, I am ever the optimist. My wife and I met up after she finished work yesterday and we walked around our neighborhood in Brooklyn. What did I discover? It is a short walk to places that take twenty minutes to get to on the subway! Target is a ten minute walk. The gym? About the same. Also, we can get to Fulton Street Mall, downtown Brooklyn, and if we pushed it a bit, Brooklyn Heights! For a city that felt so enormous, It really isn't as bad as you think. Thanks, MTA, for showing me the truth!
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