"new yorkers are actually quite friendly"

on monday night, while waiting inside the C/E 50th St station, someone asked me how to transfer to the uptown train (you can't.). i told him you had to go out and he was all pissed b/c he didn't have an unlimited card and then he'd have to pay to re-enter on the other side. i was cozy in my little spot, writing a letter to v and waiting for laura, but said, "i'll take you, i have an unlimited." he was very happy, proceeding to ask me out for a drink instead of waiting in the subway and asking, "how does it feel to be a saint?" the suffering folks, the suffering is a lot more intense than you'd think.

we walked around for a bit in the freezing cold, trying to find the entrance (at this rate, he should have just waited for another train downtown to catch the uptown one) and talking. he asked me out again for a drink but i told him really, laura would be here soon and i had to head over to china club. he told me his name, kissed me on the cheek, and i swiped him in. i felt like he wanted to ask me for his number but i simply brightly smiled and waved.

at china club, i met these three irish guys in line. we had a great conversation, and they told me about their st. patty's day experience ("completely different in ireland! no one drinks like that or wears green!") and one of them told me during their week in nyc, they've had 210 pints of beer. woah.

i went in, hung out with charlie and adam and natalia and laura in the vip section, but left to talk with them. they were loads of fun and told me, "everyone says new yorkers are mean, rude. they definitely aren't. they're friendly. so friendly." i'm glad to have inserted my little friendly energy into their trip.

a lot of people think it's impossible to meet people in new york city. while sex and the city was a tv show, it was based on reality--i constantly meet people in nyc on the train, on the street, at a bar, in line for the loo--we love to talk. in crisis--forgetaboutit. we're all best friends. during the transit strike (not to mention the blackout and other similiar dramas; i was in grad school during 9/11 but i heard it was the same), everyone bonded together to bitch abt how selfish the transit workers were and how it was freezing cold and hurting their businesses and how horrid it was. yup, we like to talk and complain and talk about how two-year-old that wouldn't stop crying when it realized mommy had to walk to work. that sort of thing. we're rude, we have our busy lives, but we'll make time to make new friends, have a conversation, often hoping it will blossom into a relationship. i.e., "i met my husband while waiting for the stupid train one night. the train was messed up and we barely noticed."