Now There's Nothing Special About New York!


...okay. New York still rocks. It's still got Los Angeles beat with the whole excitement and skyscrapers and theaters thing, but... and I do have a point...

Today marked the end of my second week of work and it's going pretty well. I'm used to the tasks I gotta do, but I still make a few careless mistakes here and there. I should be getting my first paycheck real soon and I'm anxious to see how much it's for (I'm expecting a lot and I've gotten clearance to buy an iPod with it!).

Anyway, after work, my mom and I took the subway (Metro Red Line) to Union Station. Yes folks, the Los Angeles subway system. When I was in New York, the subways were the best way around the city and they were awesome. I loved zipping down the lines and ending up in a completely different part of the city. And now that I'm back on the west coast, I miss it.

So I was excited when Mother Routes suggested taking the subway. We walked down the stairs (which were surrounded by more beggers than I saw in New York) and found ourselves in an impeccably clean station! It had nice white tile walls (THEY WERE CLEAN AND ACTUALLY WHITE!) and some artsy artwork you can probably find at a McDonald's. The place was clean and didn't smell.

There were kiosks where you could buy a ticket for the subway, but we already had our Metro train tickets. There are no turnstiles to duck under. The subway is based on an honor system. You get on and sometimes they'll have people checking for tickets. No ticket? You get a ticket. $250 fine.

The wind picked up in the tunnel and you could see and hear it coming. But this isn't the loud clanking noise you hear when the F train approaches; these trains whir like whispers! They are quiet and smooth!

You walk in and the seats are lined with some cheap red velvet knock off material, but it's comfortable! The train is as fast as New York's and very enjoyable.

Upon exiting, we saw surveillance cameras everywhere and some police officers on Segways patrolling the station. It felt really safe. AND CLEAN!

I hope they expand the lines to include a lot more places around Southern California. I'd love to just hop on a subway and spend a day in the city and then take a train home. I think the subway system is what I loved about New York the most. It was so easy to get around, I was jealous. Of course, I guess we can just drive with our cars and whatnot, but where's the fun in that???

SUBWAYS!

In other news, I've been addicted to the Wicked OBC soundtrack since I got it last Saturday. I also love the Avenue Q OBC album.

And I'm almost done with the last (as of now) Dan Brown book Deception Point. It only took it about 97 chapters to get to the good part, but I guess it was worth it. Well actually, so far it's pretty boring. Not much is going on (unlike the nonstop thrillingness of Angels & Demons. Now there was a book that was "unputdownable!"). But I'm almost done. Okay I lied. Angels & Demons did have a point in the middle where it started to lag, but the ending was completely explosive! I hope the same happens with this book. But so far, I'm not motivated to read it right before bed and when I wake up (like Digital Fortress). It's more of a "read on the train-ride home" book. Apparently 2 other people on the train agree with me. I see this book everywhere.

And lastly, I still haven't seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind! And watch Wonderfalls on FOX at 9pm. It's uber-great!



Defying gravity,

Ricky

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