Part of my job is, temporarily, to provide support coverage in our New York City office on Mondays. While not unenjoyable, commuting to 'the city' involves learning a series of lessons. 1. Don't drive. For the first few 9 months of this office's existance, when I came in once every two or three weeks, I'd drive. The Scion does much better here than the Avalon ever would, but the ride back then was a trip to look forward to. Getting on the road at 6:30, arriving in SoHo at 8, having parking, tolls and milage reimbursed were perks. I95 is a being best left untouched, but the Merritt is actually a beautiful ride, as is the West Side Highway. But the traffic and my environmental sides got the best of me. When, on one occasion I was an hour late after leaving 15 minutes after I'd planned, that was the end of it. All those cars sitting around me - maybe the fumes had an effect. I take the train now, taking advantage of free parking in a hidden lot. 2. You will not make the 5:28 if you leave SoHo at 5. No matter what. I walked out of the office at SoHo and Broome at 4:59 tonight - the earliest I possibly could - and still missed the 5:28 from Grand Central. Walking the 5 or so blocks to Spring and Broadway (a block further, actually), the pedestrian traffic can be worse than the morning congestion at the Lincoln Tunnel. You can be on an uptown 6 train in just 10. Here's where New York outsmarts those trying to outsmart it. The fastest way to GCT from SoHo is to take the 6 to 14th Street/Union Square, then the 4 (express) for the rest of the trip. At 8PM, maybe, theory and practice yield the same results. Not during rush hour - trains get packed, and somehow all the people they discharge don't leave as much room as they look like they would. After two packed 4 trains and a similarly affected 5 (15 minutes later), I got on the next 6 train, passing the local stops I'd hoped to avoid, making it to Grand Central at 5:35, just in time to wait for the 5:51. On the plus side, the subways are great for people-watching, if that's your thing. On top of that, I can write blog entries while squeezing between fellow passengers. This time in SoHo every Monday may also provide some inspiration - I have the opportunity to try a new place for lunch weekly and may turn that into a new series of entries. Assuming, of course, that I can make it here.