Stuck in the Past

For being such an important and seemingly modern city, aspects of New York are surprisingly old-fashioned. I, like most Americans, am accustomed to charging most things to my credit card and using cash sparingly. Living in New York has taught me to always have cash on hand as some stores and businesses require a $5 to $10 minimum charge to use a credit card. If I’m looking to get a hot chocolate or a bottle of water, I don’t want to have to spend additional money to buy something I don’t need for the sole purpose of using my card. Bodegas here are almost exclusively cash only. Some businesses, like vegan diner Champs and café chain Swallow, are cash only. Credit limits and cash only are understandable for small towns and small businesses, but it’s bizarre to find this is a normal part of New York life. If you’re short on cash, questionable ATMs are available inside and outside most businesses. (A word of warning: watch out for these. They charge around $3 per transaction, don’t always work, and ‘customer service’ from the ATM company is a joke. I used the ATM inside Ange Noir and the money was taken out of my account but I didn’t receive any from the ATM. Calling the ATM company was as useful as yelling at a wall as the man who answered was dismissively, extremely unhelpful, and told me to wait 24 hours. I contacted my bank next and they were far more professional and helpful—a big thank you to MSUFCU! I received ATM credit and won’t be touching a skeezy ATM again.)

Additionally, most of the grocery stores and bodegas I’ve been to in Bushwick don’t have price scanners. Each item is individually tagged with the price, which the cashier then punches into the register. I’ve also seen some using a calculator to figure out the total cost rather than using their cash register. How is a bunch of individual tags more convenient than scanning a barcode? And why have a cash register at all if the cashier is going to use a calculator instead?

Another New York oddity is being asked to bring a hard copy of a resume to an interview. I’ve never been asked to bring a paper resume with me before I moved to New York. Four interviewers have required a hard copy of my resume, despite me having submitted one electronically at the time of my application. I’ve become familiar with the library around the corner so that I am able to print off my resumes.

It’s strange that my small, suburban hometown is more progressive than parts of New York.

 

 

MTA

All of New York’s public transportation is under the MTA umbrella. Bus, subway, train. I’ve had experiences with all three and my only conclusion is: American public transportation is a travesty. Supposedly, each bus/train/subway runs every 12-15 minutes but that often isn’t the case. My sister can easily spend half an hour waiting for a train to get her to where she works in Soho.

Furthermore, I’ve had buses and trains that blast right past scheduled stops even when I’ve pulled the line on the bus to get it to stop. It’s honestly a game of chance. Will the bus or train actually stop where it should or am I going to have to backtrack? It usually happens at least once a week.

Maybe I’m just spoiled by how reliable Japanese transportation was (Trains on the Yamanote line in Tokyo came every 2-3 minutes, didn’t blast past stops, and were on time). Both times I lived in Japan I experienced train delays but only for a combined three times. Two were due to weather – snow in one case, strong winds in the other. The latter was some form of accident.

I tell my friends in Europe about my MTA woes and they realize how much better their transportation systems are.

So in a city of millions, who rely on the MTA on a daily basis, why are they so far behind the standards of other countries?

Trader Joe’s in New York

Thus far I’ve stayed clear of Trader Joe’s because I’ve heard the warnings: the stores are packed, the lines are long, and you’re sacrificing at least an hour of your time just waiting in line. I’ve seen pictures of how long the lines at the Manhattan ones can be. Also Trader Joe’s is about a 30 minute bus ride from my apartment in Bushwick so it hasn’t been convenient for me to go and buy groceries there.

However, now that I’m staying in Brooklyn Heights with Trader Joe’s about a 10 minute walk away, I decided to try it out. Their hours are from 8 to 10 and I went around 11. It actually wasn’t that bad. There was a line, but it wasn’t the “wrapping all the way around the store” one I’d heard about. I filled up my basket with some things I needed and others I certainly didn’t but that called to me anyway and went to take my place in line.

Trader Joe’s is such a popular place in New York that there are special positions: line directors. A guy stands at the end of the line and directs shoppers into three different lines (green, yellow, and red). You wait your turn in the line. Another employee at the front of the line directs you to whichever lane that just opened. Cashiers have a flag with their lane number on it and once they finish a customer’s transaction, they wave the flag and the front director then instructs you to go to Lane X.

I thought I’d be spending an hour in line, but it truly wasn’t that bad. I’m sure it’s a different story after 5 pm when people are getting out of work but my experience wasn’t bad at all. As a bonus, my cashier was very friendly which isn’t always the case with New York.

A Stinky Situation

When I’m asked what New York is like I have two answers: “Big and dirty.” It’s essentially a larger and grimier Chicago.

Littering is a common issue in America and other countries, but I have never seen it done to the extent that it is in New York. Garbage is everywhere. On train tracks even though there are signs urging travelers not to do so, the streets, sidewalks, and in parks. Last week when I was walking Ollie to the park I saw a woman roll her window down and throw her cup into the street.

Why do New Yorkers treat the street like it’s their own personal garbage can? This is a question I’ve asked myself often ever since I moved here. It isn’t as if there is a shortage of garbage cans. They’re easy to find actually. I can walk down pretty much any street and there will be a trash can somewhere. Is it laziness? Do they feel entitled to discard their trash so that it is no longer an inconvenience?

I believe it’s a mix. And I can’t help but contrast the behavior of New Yorkers with Japan. In Japan it’s actually difficult to find public garbage cans. There are some outside restaurants and convenience stores or in parks, but in Japan the custom is that you take your trash with you. You don’t throw it in the street or leave it on the train tracks (though there are plenty who will litter.) As a child I was taught not to litter so watching how carelessly New Yorkers litter is difficult for me.

We all live in this city together so why not keep it cleaner?

Oops…

Shortly before moving to New York, as I did with Japan, I had grand intentions of dutifully blogging about my life and my adventures in the big city. As it turns out life gets in the way of my ability to keep a blog.

I need to get back into non-novel writing so I’ll be working harder at maintaining this blog. I’m leaving to dog/house sit for a week in Brooklyn Heights tomorrow so I will work on this from there.