March 9, 2011. Further Notes from the Underground

There are certain activities that I concede to Parkinson’s Disease. Driving on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway is way up at the top. The merits of the BQE are that it has a view of Manhattan, that you can’t get anywhere else. The detriments are narrow lanes, a lot of cars, big trucks, and the Grand Canyon of potholes. I don’t miss it.

Downtown Brooklyn from my home in Forest Hills is about 20 minutes without traffic. It is about an hour and fifteen minutes by Subway, and a couple of months by the BQE. Today I had to go to Court in Brooklyn. This means that I must take the Subway. I have to take at least three trains from Continental Avenue to Cadman Plaza. It feels interminable and cost a lot more than the $2.25 fare.

On the train at Continental was a man selling batteries. Only batteries. I didn’t the batteries. The man not a particularly pushy salesman, he spoke no English, but I purchased four packs of expired batteries.

I was sitting on a bench where two average size people could fit. At Roosevelt Avenue a man about 6'8", 300 pounds squeezed in between me the elderly woman who was telling me about the wonders of Christ.

At Queensboro Plaza a man with a squeegee entered the train, he forcibly cleaned my glasses and demanded $5.00 for the service.

At Lexington Avenue, I switched to the number 6 train for one stop,
While walking to the platform I passed an accordion player who was singing, “You’re having my Baby,” in Spanish.

I was pushed onto the 6 train by a large woman, who was considerate enough to be privately listening to his rap music through earphones attached to his i-pod. I knew it was rap music, because, although she had headphones, it was still loud enough to hear every note. Also the woman sang along with the music, while playing his imaginary drums.

I changed for the number 5 train at 42nd Street. There a man entered allegedly collecting money to feed homeless children. Most people looked the other way, I gave him the lunch that my wife had made for me this morning.

At Wall Street, a familiar figure entered the train, Bernard Goetz.

As I exited at Cadman Plaza, after having giving $5.00 to the Bay City Rollers playing on the platform, I heard shots ring out from the train.

I later learned that Goetz shot the panhandlers. He’ll probably be acquitted this time.

It’s still better than the BQE.