Pictures by Famechy Knight Using a Sidekick 08 Cellphone
Commute is an experiment in nonfiction narrative with students writing about their travels to and from the Hunter campus at 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, New York City.
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I am dance major taking media and journalism classes, and I commute to campus from Brooklyn, riding the R, D, N and 6. The following is a taste of my regular commuting experiences.
September 25, 2009, Friday, 8 a.m. 53rd Street, Brooklyn, the R.
The turning of turnstiles, people’s feet hitting the ground as they rush to catch the train, doors opening and closing are usually some of the sounds. Like today. The Manhattan bound R arrives at 8 a.m. sharp. Doors of the second to last open. Inside, two females converse about getting off at the Pacific Street station. They look like they’re in their teens and seemed similarly styled: Jordan sneakers, hooded sweatshirt, jeans and curly hair. A few minutes later the train stops at 45th Street and about eight people enter. As soon as the doors close hip-hop music explodes. The perpetrator: A female who also looks like she is in her teen years; It’s a song by a popular hip-hop artist Drake.
At 8:05 a.m. the R Train stops at 36th Street allowing me to transfer to the D Train; which arrives a minute later. On the D Train there are ads of Budweiser American Ale running along one side of the car. A male probably in his 40s dressed in a black pinstriped suit reading the Financial Times and a female maybe in her 20s highlighting passages in a book with a blue highlighter. The train suddenly stops in the middle of nowhere and the train conductor announces “We have a train ahead of us, we should be moving shortly.” The level of noise quiets down but then this changes once the train starts moving again about two minutes later. The train passes a white wall that could be seen through the windows and along the wall there is some kind of red and blue art. Later many people are reading newspapers, the sound of flipping pages becomes frequent. One moment I take a seat by a window and and look through it, seeing nothing but blackness and my reflection staring back at me.
Arrive at 34th Street to transfer to the N. On an escalator. Sounds of country music. On the platform a live band and people occasionally stop to take in the music. At 8:37 a.m. on the N two females using mobile devices. A male about 6 feet tall walks in through doors that connect this car to the next. He looks like an older version of a Hunter Hawk athlete dressed in a purple sporty jacket and yellow sneakers. Someone sneezes, a male maybe of Indian decent wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. Finally the 6 Train at 8:47 a.m., 59th and Lexington, a few minute later the train operator announces, “This is 68th Street Hunter College.”
It’s 8:33 in the morning when the Manhattan bound R Train arrives at the 53rd street train station. The train is crowded, really crowded and something is causing a beeping sound. Coming from an elderly lady with snow white hair sitting near the end of the train car she’s playing with a small blue device in her hand that’s creating the beeping noise. Meanwhile, reggae music from someone’s headphones and rock music coming from someone else’s headphones. The sounds are inescapable.
The R Train stops at 36th Street in Brooklyn, many people just idling on the platform. At 8:41 a.m. the D Train heads towards Manhattan arrives. Inside, a woman who looks like she is in her 30s is reading a magazine about mothers while standing and holding on to the metal train pole. As the train moves I see the red emergency handle swirling back and forth behind a man’s head. The handle moves close to his head but not enough to actually hit him. As the train comes into the Pacific Street train station a lady kisses a man she is standing next to and she says, “I love you” and he responds “I love you too.” The train is so crowded that when it stops at Pacific I must step out of the train to let exiting passengers out and get back on.Then the train continues on its way, goes over the bridge and passes many city buildings tagged with graffiti and adorned with clothing hanging off balconies.
In the background two rhythms coming from two different headphones and the train makes a stop and the conductor announces “allow the passengers to exit the train first,” in a concerned tone of voice. Then a man wearing an unzipped Navy blue jacket and a buttoned down shirt, khaki pants, brown shoes and an over-the-shoulder bag quickly checks his cell phone. The train stops at 34th street, 6th Avenue, Manhattan and once again the conductor announces “allow the passengers off the train first.”
At 9:10 a.m. uptown W train, eight passengers. It is one of the new trains where straphangars sometimes hear robotic announcements about safety and bag searches. After the 42nd street train stop, about 16 people in the car. A lady nearby has an open book in hand and the cover of the book has a map on it. And an Asian man sitting diagonal from her is taking a nap which is what I would be doing if I wasn’t writing. Sounds of a hip-hop beat as the train moving along the tracks.
Off at 59 Street, Lexington Avenue, and transfer to the uptown 6 at 9:27 a.m. The car is already jam-packed and more people enter. Loud reggae music and some other music coming from someone else’s headphones. As a lady clears her throat the train arrives at 68th Street, Hunter.
December 11, 2009. 10:06 a.m. 53rd Street Brooklyn.
On the R Train, 10:06 a.m. and as the train begins to move several passengers take to seats. An Asian male of about 20 years old; has red and yellow hair. His roots and the back of his head looked a naturally black but the upper part and tips are a dark tone of yellow and red streaks. He has on fingerless gloves, a black jacket and a blue, grey and black colored book bag on his lap and stress is reflected in his face.
The train stops at 45th Street and a man wearing a black and white striped hooded sweater about 5-foot-7, most likely of Mexican decent, enters the car. He stands by the doors close and his backpack gets stuck. He struggles to free the backpack and mumbles “tu puta madre.” He frees the backpack. The train gets to 36 Street, Brooklyn, at 10:12 a.m. Next is the D Train which arrives a minute later. All the seats are taken and several are standing.
As the train goes over the bridge dull blue water, motionless, is in the distance. At the next stop many of the passengers mostly of Asian descent exit the train. At 10:40 a.m. the train arrives at 34th, Street Herald Square, Manhattan, and as I get off two cops look into the car. Two more cops standing about 4 feet away from each other.
The uptown R Train arrives at 34th and as soon as the doors open a Christmas tune can be heard. An elderly man with a trumpet in his hand walks through the middle of the car while strolling a black cart. Some straphangars acknowledge him while others ignore his presence. The elderly man gets to the end of the train car and says, “Thank You.” After he gets off the a black male enters through the other end; he walks along, saying “Please take one,” while handing out flyers with the words “Become a corporate security guard” printed across the top.
A Rihanna song playing in the background and passengers conversing in a language that I can’t recognize and for some odd reason the car smells like Clorox.
Transfer from the R Train to the uptown 6 at 59 Street and Lexington Avenue. On the 6 people sitting and talking and a women standing against the middle pole, she quickly looks down at the watch on her right wrist.
The train arrives and once again the announcement, “This is 68th Street Hunter College.”