City Wisdom Round 1

The first in what may or may not be a series of blogs about what I've learned:

Don't get on a bus if you don't know where it's going.

Proverbs 16:18 says "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Well, it's true...

Somewhere between Tuesday and Friday I convinced myself that I was officially a city-girl, able to navigate the subway with ease, quickly zip in and out of tourists as I walk, and decode the grid that is Manhattan. I was invincible. In the spirit of exploration, I decided to forego the subway once again and catch a bus back to my apartment from my first few job interviews. (Remember, you can see more of the city when you ride the bus...Blog 2) Kathryn had explained to me that busses generally go along each street and avenue in a straight line, and you can transfer horizontally or vertically at just about any stop... At least, that's what I though she had explained.

I hopped on a bus somewhere near 45th and 6th, thinking that if I could just get to the East Side, I could transfer uptown and be good to go. The bus was nicer than the others I had been on. The seats were cushioned, so I thought I had gotten pretty lucky with a new upgraded vehicle. I saw that my supposed stop was coming up, so I collected my things and started to get up. Then the bus turned...

We got on a bridge. A bridge that left the island. A bridge that took me out of Manhattan. A bridge that I had never seen before. A bridge that was tucked in between some buildings SO CLOSE to what should have been my stop! I started to panic and asked the girl in front of me where we were going. She laughed a little and explained we were on an express bus to the absolute other side of Queens.

OH CRUD!

During the next 45 minutes we were riding into the middle of nowhere, my new friend explained that she had moved to the city from Ohio, and didn't use the busses for the first 2 years because they were so confusing. That made me feel a little better. I also got to see a part of New York I'd never seen before. That would have made me feel better if it wasn't so terrifying. By the time we FINALLY stopped, I was in the middle of a full-blown conversation with all five of the New Yorkers around me. They were incredibly helpful, explaining all of the different ways I could get back. I ended up having to get off the bus at the end of Queens Blvd, catch a bus going in the opposite direction, get off that bus at the next subway station, and catch the E train back into Manhattan.

When I finally reached Grand Central Station again, I started crying because I was so thankful to be alive and in a familiar place again... I treated myself to McDonalds, a quick touch up at Sephora (shout out to Sephora for making me smell decent again. thank you!), and the new musical Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. My adventure was complete, and I climbed into my bed at the end of the night and slept harder than I have since I moved in.

No adventures for me today... I'm taking it easy... And it might be awhile before I get on another bus.

Grace be with you,
Lindsey Shea