Daily Commute

This morning the weather wasn't too bad (after a couple of days of rain and unseasonable chill), so I decided to take the time on my way to the office in the morning to capture some images that illustrate what my morning commute is like. Surely my commute is representative of that of many thousands living in the city, but it is much different than what I been used to for the rest of my working life. For me going into work has always involved hopping into a car and negotiating traffic, minimizing exposure to the weather and interaction with other people. Now, though, having left my car behind in Seattle, I am committed to a much different approach relying on a combination of ambulatory and public transportation. This morning I headed out at around 7:15AM. As always the first leg of the trip involves traveling a couple of blocks to the nearest subway entrance at 53rd and 3rd Avenue. The route is still new enough for me that I usually spot something novel each time in the way of shops, restaurants or other amusements that I make mental note of to visit at some future point. In particular I like 53rd street because of one particular section where you can see 6 or 7 little restaurants embedded above and below street level. So many choices. After just a few short blocks, the subway entrance is in sight and I head underground. On hot days the underground stations can be quite stifling, but thankfully today it wasn't bad at all. My route is to take the 6 train downtown just a few stops, and I am fortunate that it seems to be consistently rated as one of the best subway lines, according to a number of publications and reviews. Certainly it seems pleasant enough to me, but then again I only ride typically for three stops. Not enough really to be bothered by anything. The worst part about the trip is waiting for the subway to arrive, and with the exception of hot days the issue is just the inaction, the feeling that you are not getting anywhere during this time. It's the closest to being stuck in traffic that I experience now, but thankfully the trains run frequently enough and so far it's never been more than five minutes or so that I wait in the morning. That was the case this morning, and within a few minutes I boarded the train. The train cars are air conditioned aggressively, so on hot days this is the point at which you experience relief from the muggy station air -- sometimes this can be quite a shock to the system due to the extreme temperature difference and rapid cooling. The train trip is short, and for me it still feels like an amusement ride. Not thrilling like a roller coaster, but easygoing and meandering like a monorail. Surely this feeling of recreation will wear off after a while, and I have learned from my colleagues at work that it doesn't even last a single day under strain of an forty-five minute or longer trip from outside the city, but for me it is quick and when I get off I almost feel like I would like to ride a bit more. When I exit the subway station, I emerge on 28th street and Park Avenue, and it is just a couple blocks over to my office on 5th Avenue. I often pick up some fruit and perhaps espresso on the way in, and luckily I pass eight or nine bistros and/or cafes in that short walk, not including the chains like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. After a quick stop into the last one I go by, Cafe 28, I arrive at my block on 5th Avenue. As the pictures show, my block is in the shadow of the Empire State building — a nice landmark to greet me on my way in.