For all its intrigue, innovation, neglect, greatness, and grandeur, Grand Central Terminal is one of my favorite buildings in New York. Its iconic great hall is instantly recognizable, with a swell of people, almost insect-like, dashing for trains, saddled with baggage, embracing friends and family, or gawking upward at the stars painted on the ceiling. One thing it’s not, however, is a station: trains pass through stations but a terminal is where trains come to an end.
My favorite Korean BBQ restaurant is a small, family-owned gem called Mapo in Flushing, New York. This place has the ultimate trifecta for me: amazing beef, lots of non-English speaking locals and employees, and it’s so close to LaGuardia that you can easily discern the tail number of the planes on final approach.
Have you ever been running so late that you’ve missed your flight? I cut it very close the other day on the United Airlines 6:35pm departure from Newark to Milan. I wasn’t able to complete online check in because I was randomly asked to have a United Airlines ticket agent double check my passport before issuing my boarding pass. I got into a cab at 5:05pm – the middle of rush hour – and didn’t make it to Newark until 6:10pm, well past the one-hour-before-departure cut off for international check in. If I had my boarding pass it would have been plenty of time. But I still had to check in, so I quickly scanned the ticket agent faces and looked for someone who seemed friendly and potentially sympathetic. I found one and politely asked her if there was any way that she could get me onto the flight to Milan. She initially, with a lot of regret in her voice, said no, but then I asked the magic question which had me sitting on the plane 10 minutes later:
The world is upside down on the corner of 10th Avenue and 34th Street in New York.
Tonight, I discovered the secret to maintaining a green lawn: Getty Gas.
Driving a cab in New York is a tough, stressful, 12 hour a day job. And, if you’ve ever been in the back of one of those yellow taxis, you might also think riding in one is just as intense. I often find myself, just like Jerry Seinfeld joked, in a backseat flying down the road at 90 miles per hour on bald tires – but I’m sure they know what they’re doing.
Great story!! I’m enjoying your posts! Keep them coming!!!