So finally I could spend an entire day in NYC. I didn't really have any set plans for the day except I knew I was going to take the Subway for the first time.
I had heard how crazy the subway system was. It's one thing to hear about it...but quite another to be in the mix. Not every subway station is wheelchair accessible (elevators) and while I knew that, I didn't know that whether a station is/isn't equipped with an elevator isn't clearly marked. Coming from LA where every station has an elevator and there is no "mind the gap"...it was just a mindless reaction for me to get off at the stop because that's where I was trying to go.
The fact that there was HUGE gap between the train and platform, should have been my first clue that if I exited the train I was going to be screwed but I thought nothing of it in those seconds. Not til I was off the train and it was too late to get back on.
So I sat there wondering what I was going to do. Then a local with her two little kids came along and was nice enough to let me know that the Fulton Street stop was my best bet and then I could backtrack. Now I just had to wait for a train to come along where the platform and train were equal height.
Finally got on the train towards Fulton. Going to Fulton and having to backtrack towards Wall Street turned out to be a good thing as it allowed me to wander. In my wandering, I came across a makeshift TV set where scenes for the tv show "Blue Bloods" were being filmed. As I went further down the street, I ended up stopping to talk to one of the crew members. He was quick to tell me that none of the cast were on set. I then asked him if it was 2nd unit on set and his face just lit up. I don't think it was as much as I knew the lingo as in it was because I used it the right way. That still remains as one of my favorite memories. We only chatted a few more minutes as he had to work. He said that I could go on set but I'm not exactly someone who can blend in so I declined.
After this little moment, it was time to move on. I had considered going to the Brooklyn Bridge as it wasn't that far away from where I was but I chose not to. And that is one of my small regrets.
On my way back to getting on the train, I got very lost. I had made so many turns in my wandering around that I was a bit turned around and Google maps could only help so much. I finally did find the train again and decided to go back where I started and get on the 7 towards the US OPEN. I didn't know what chance I had of getting grounds passes for the day but I thought might as well go see the Tennis Center even if only from the outside.
I got to the Tennis Center stop and this was most likely where it was the beginning of the end for the shocks in my chair. I thought the Santa Monica Pier was a bear...that is until I was driving my chair from the train stop to the Tennis Center. I mean going over those wood slats was beyond horrendous and I never thought I would get to the end. When I finally did I was so hot & tired...seeing the Tennis Center had lost its appeal almost. But I went to see if there were any grounds passes anyway because I was there. As expected, it was sold out.
There wasn't much left to do so there I was staring at going over the wood slats again. When I made it back to the train platform, I found out that I had to go up another level because it turns out that stop isn't actually wheelchair accessible.
After that experience there is no way I will go back to the Tennis Center unless I go by bus or if somebody wants to carry me over the wooden walkway.
I get back to Manhattan sometime in late afternoon and just wander around some more.
Probably one of my most memorable experiences on a NYC Subway was when a street performer just started doing his thing the minute the train moved. I didn't know what the hell was going on at first...thought I was going to get robbed! But then I realized it was all in good fun. The NYC Subway system is not something I will forget anytime soon. The speed of the trains, the chaos, the inaccessibility...all of it was part of the character and I loved every bit of it. I wouldn't mind if they worked on it being more accessible but there are signs that efforts are being made.
Friday would be my last day and I was going to spend it at Central Park.
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