New York, here I come! (Part 1)

While I still need to continue my list of "Things I'll miss about this city..." I thought it would be fun to start anticipating the city I'll move to. Several of you know that the residency program I ranked first wasn't necessarily my favorite in and of itself; factoring in the City of New York and proximity to family in Philadelphia, however, gave this program the edge.

The following is a view looking south(west) from the Upper East Side. In the foreground are the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, and in the distance one can make out the World Trade Center "Twin Towers."

The skyline at night. There's something I love about a city sitting on the water. (My good friend Josh would back me up here.)



So New York...where to start? I am looking forward to seeing friends who've promised they'll come visit. One of my favorite things about the city is its density--the fact that in midtown it's totally normal to be waiting with fifty people to cross the street. And the Juilliard School of Music is definitely a plus; I see myself catching many a recital and concert there.

But for now, we'll talk about the New York City Subways. If you've never been to the city, I think the subways are an integral part of the experience. They allow you to walk to nearly any place in Manhattan. And they expose you to the breadth and diversity of life in this metropolitan behemoth. A word of warning--personal space is more of an abstract idea than a reality. I remember riding during rush hour and realizing that I was touching no fewer than four strangers...and this was normal!

The MTA home page is full of information, but I've gleaned some impressive facts for your perusal.

• More people ride NYC trains than all other commuter trains and subways in the nation combined.
• An average of 7.7 million passengers ride the trains & subways every weekday in New York.
• The subway system annually uses enough power to light the city of Buffalo for a year.
• The fleet travels 347,188,000 miles per year. (Keep in mind that the sun is only 93,000,000 miles from the earth.) It would take light, traveling at the speed of light, 30 seconds to travel this far. Time would essentially slow to a standstill at these speeds.