Bon Journal

Breakfast and lunch in Manhattan

It is so like me to cram everything in one day with little slack. I arrived at New York Penn Station at 6:30 am, checked my bags into the Amtrak baggage counter, and went to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) counter to queue for a ticket to Ronkonkoma Station.

As I was approaching the information counter, a man came towards me shaking his head.

"No, oh no. You're not gonna get in front of me," he muttered and cursed at me like I was the scum of the earth. I was so shocked that I let him get in front of me without a protest.

At the information counter, he suddenly turned into the sweetest person, smiling and almost flirting with the information clerk, using syrupy phrases whenever possible.

As he turned to leave, he flipped back into his hateful self again, swearing at me and reminding me that he was more important than I was.

I shook my head. Why do I always get shocked at the rudeness of New Yorkers whenever I come to this city? I should be used to this by now.

In my shell-shocked, numbed state, I walked towards the Amtrak baggage counter to meet my breakfast date at 7 am sharp. We took the metro to Rockefeller Centre to have breakfast and then walked to Times Square to meet my friend for coffee.

By the time I arrived in Chinatown for my lunch appointment, I had forgotten the early morning incident. There are nice people in Manhattan, after all.

17 September 2003 Wednesday