I am officially no longer a subway rat

From 1977 until a little while ago I was a dedicated NYC Subway rat. I had been riding those trains from the first day of seventh grade at Russell Sage Junior High School for thirty nine years. I had been all over the subway system. Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, you name the station I've probably been there.

Then one day about two months ago, it happened. I walked by the Long Island Railroad station in the middle of Kew Gardens on my way to the subway, like I had done thousands of times before. Only this time, I stopped. I don't know why I stopped that day. Maybe I was just tired or something. I'm still not sure. But I stopped.  I stared at the old station for a few minutes and the cautiously wandered over. There were signs indicating when the next train would arrive. There were machines to buy tickets from. There was a little waiting room with benches. And just like that, I bought a ticket. It was expensive. Round trip to Penn Station was almost double the price of the subway. But when the train arrived, right on time like the sign said, and I got in and settled into an upholstered seat, I was hooked. Eighteen minutes later, I arrived at Penn Station. I couldn't believe it. That's easily twice as fast as the subway.

Well, as it turns out, there is a transit check program that includes the Long Island Railroad. You get to pay for the tickets pre-tax. Additionally, the monthly ticket is proportionally less expensive than the individual ticket. It's still more expensive than the subway. But not staggeringly so. And it's really fast. I think I mentioned that.

So, goodbye to the NYC Subway and hello to the next phase of my commuting life. I'm still just trudging off to work every day. But at least I'm enjoying the ride.