Coordinated Chaos

You know that scene in Across the Universe during the Come Together set? The one where all of the business people are rhythmically traversing across Rockefellar Plaza. That's what I think of every evening as I'm dashing across Grand Central underground to get to the shuttle. We're not talking beautiful-I've-seen-this-in-so-many-movies Grand Central. I don't see the light of day during this commute. We're talking a massive subway station jammed with people trying to rush from one subway line to the next. Yet somehow it's so coordinated and no one ever runs into each other - because we do this every day. We know how it goes. And every single time I think of Across the Universe and it makes me ecstatic. So if you're navigating GC subway rush hour and you see the girl in business casual with a much too large bag and a massive smile on her face - that's me.

From the time my train gets into Penn I have 20 min to get to work - and this involves taking the 1 to Times Square then the Shuttle to Grand Central and then the 6 downtown. And if there's even a slight delay on the LIRR, I have to brave the 10 degree weather and the midtown tourists in a mad sprint across town.

So today I'm at shuttle track 1 and the shuttle is all the way at track 4. I'm part of a mass exodus around the tracks to get on this train even though another one will probably be rolling up on track 1 any second now. But you know the shuttle - it sits there for what seems like hours before it actually leaves. So I'm behind this girl with a suitcase. I hate the suitcase people - but somehow she's booking it - very impressive. Really. And then she just stops - in the middle of the one narrow pathway that leads to track 4 - she just stops - really? And so I get to the shuttle just as the doors are closing and myself and this big linebacker looking guy are both like dammit! And now I also hate the people who block the doors - if you're already in the car its a pain in the ass. And I swear neither me or the linebacker blocked the door but magically the door pops open and we both jump and land inside the train at the same time just as the doors slide shut one last time. It was like synchronized jumping - and it was beautiful.