Please add your favorite "Only in NY Story'

This was inspired by what happened last night.

An old friend who, is probably one of last reamining Trotskyists, gave a reading about from his new book about an Irish Revolutionary. A small crowd attended. Someone offered us a lift to the nearby subway station, which we accepted. This person was a fairly well known radical, who when they appear on TV seems like a raging loony but was as pleasant and convivial as can be. We chatted about this and that and I forgot until I got home this person is out on bail pending an appeal.

My wife and I were headed, a few years ago, to The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue to attend an organ recital commemorating the tenth anniversary of the installation of the Mander organ. We were running a little late, so we decided I would drop Joy off in front of the church, then find a parking place. As she climbed out of my car at the time, a little bright yellow Miata convertible, and climbed the steps up to the church's entrance, a church volunteer manning the door commented to her, "That's the strangest Yellow Cab I've ever seen!"

The other day my wife and I entered the 77 St. station of the #6 train and a Mexican guitar player and singer was doing some of the great Mexican standards - Besame Mucho, Quizas, and others. We are huge fans of latin music for dancing - especially rumba, danzon, bolero and we could not resist the opportunity to dance. We dropped a contribution in his box - and luckily the train was delayed. We danced and danced -- and when the train arrived - by then the platform crowded - applause broke out.

Another NY story - jroth, that is my local station - so sorry I missed your performance!

This story is over 30 years old. I was going to the ballet with a colleague and a cop prevented us from parking in our usual secret place behind Lincoln Center (actual spot doesn't exist anymore; a highrise covers it). We then parked across the way by the projects and were immediately held up at gunpoint by two thugs. They did not take my bag or jewelry; they just wanted our cash. As my friend was emptying his wallet, he said to the thug, 'Just leave us two bucks for the tunnel so we can get home.' Looking at that gun, I thought life was over, but the thugs gave us $2 and fled!

PS During this terrifying experience, I could still see the cop who shooed us away, in the distance writing parking tickets.

PPS The ballet was very nice that evening, especially with all the adrenaline pumping through my heart!

The subway train car was relatively empty near where I was seated--just one man across from me, and two other women on my side nearby.

When the train pulled into the station, the man stood, stepped out the open door, turned, and exposed himself to us. We stared at him, glanced at one another, and burst out laughing.

The man fled down the platform, but before he could run very far, one woman leaped from her seat and yelled after to him, "I've seen better!!!"

We continued to laugh as she returned to her seat, commenting, "You just can't let them get away with that."

On very hot summer day, I was riding the A Train home from work. There was no air conditioning in the car so all the commuters where sweating.

A man dressed in a really nice business suit suddenly took off his suit jacket, stepped out of his loafers, pulled off his pants and after drapping his jacket and trousers over his shoulder, stepped back into his shoes. When he caught a women staring at his boxer shorts with a disgusted look on her face, he asked "Aren't you hot?"

I laughed all the way home.

It was a hot summer rush hour when I got on the Lex. It was packed as usual, but there was a space where no one was standing. Other people got on the train and filled the space but everyone was watching. When the train made a sharp turn the water from the air-conditioning unit came cascading out soaking people who occupied that space. At the next stop no one said a word of warning to those who stood in the same spot. It became a cruel of form of entertainment on the ride home.

Two ladies in their early 60's saunter up to cash register in Chinese restaurant on 8th Ave in Chelsea. One lady forks over money to a young Asian guy manning the register. He says, pointing at a table across the room, "Hey, did you swipe the sugar packets from that table and put them in your purse? I saw you." His hand comes down to rest on Takeout menus on the counter.

"Don't be silly," says the other lady, her hair in a chignon, "We only swipe sugar from Lutece."

Thin

Warren (Aduchamp1), at least the water was cold!

Joe (jroth), do you think Rosalie's and your sprightly steps at your tender age might have had something to do with the applause you unexpectedly garnered?

This is a great thread (thanks to Adu)--Fodor's version of the Times' Metropolitan Diary.

My friend and I were in line to check into the Waldorf Astoria about 10 years ago and there were about 5 people ahead of us so we were gazing around quite excited to be staying there. A young blonde woman wearing the largest diamond ring I have ever seen accompanied by two small children and about 50 pieces of luggage sashayed over to the concierge to inquire if she had to stand in line with "those people" to check in. He asked if she was a member of their frequent guest program and she said no. He then proceeded to check her in.

This one is a Metropolitan Diary story (I will share personal ones another time) that I think about everytime I pass the butterflies exhibit at Natural History. Several years ago, a woman went to the exhibit in the winter, thought she "de-butterflied" on the way out but came home and discovered an alive and well butterfly inside her coat. she steamed up her shower and left the butterfly there for the evening. The next day, she returned the alive and well butterfly to the exhibit. The curators were so amazed that they wrote the story up for Metropolitan Diary.

Burt - our age had nothing to do with the applause. People don't applaud 39 year olds.

Was walking down Fifth Ave on a hot summer day and drawn to a fresh OJ stand on the corner of 57th. the lines was fairly long, but seemed to be moving quite quickly. In front of me was a pin thin sixtyish matron in a Channel suit and Ferragamos. When she go to the front of the line, the vendor was wiping the juicer clean, and she said:

"This is New York, young man. We don't want it clean, we want it now."

This happened yesterday:

A friend and I were waiting on the endlessly long line near the Delacorte Theater in Central Park hoping to get free tickets for last night's performance of 'Twelfth Night.' The ground was quite wet from all the rain we've had lately, so we were standing and just chatting away and catching up. All of sudden a delivery guy on a bike passes us and stops four people in front of us. A few women paid him and he gave them their breakfast. Not to lose an opportunity, I walked over to him and got a menu. We called the deli, which was on Columbus and 80th, and placed our order. Our address? Near the end of the Shakespeare in the Park line of course! In about 15 minutes, we were enjoying our own iced cappuccino and other goodies!

Only in New York!

PS. After 4 1/2 hours on line (part of it in the rain), we did not get tickets. We did meet something interesting people on and off the line though.

Yesterday on the train, there was this couple that exhibited true simian behavior. They were both late 30's, early forties, she had a bare midriff, and he was dressed in a muscle shirt. On the train, she started to pick his skin, and worse, she stuck her finger in his ear to drill for wax. He leaps up and uses the bar in the middle of the train and starts doing chin-ups right in front of this woman, who can only be described as a church lady, his bobbing body right in front of her glasses and scowl. I looked up and his arm pits were shaven, as if this was scheduled performance.

I asked my wife who was watching their two children Zippy and Cheetah.