Only in New York...

"Only in New York." Sometimes as I walk down the street, ride the train, or go for a walk in the park, I will see something, shake my head, and think this to myself. Does this kind of stuff happen in other big metropolitan cities? Probably. But growing up, this was not behavior I would see in the suburbs of Chicago. Having lived in NYC for about eight years now, I have seen my fair share of nasty/interesting/hilarious things I could have never imagined and yet certain things still seem to make me giggle or even shock me. As the weather gets nicer and I am out and about more and more, I am sure I will start seeing things again that give the charm to this wonderful city that I call home.
I see people anywhere from...

1) People dressed up in Dungeons and Dragons (or World of Warcraft?) or whatever gear to play a live game. I am honestly not sure what these folks are dressed as because this is not something I follow or have any interest in. What I do know is that it always makes me giggle. It also makes me think of the movie Role Models. This usually happens on weekends and these guys walk around the park in their full outfits on their way to and from their games. I have passed one of these games before and they garner quite the crowd. It's not really my scene, but I am sure is a lot of fun. 


2) Japanese Wedding Catalog Photoshoots in Central Park. I use to see quite a lot of Asian women dressed in bridal gowns and then their grooms following closely behind. I was always wondering why I would see so many Asian brides randomly in Central Park. Like at 6:30 in the morning on a Monday. Or 4:45 on a Wednesday afternoon. It was just weird. If they were regular wedding pictures, I thought it was an odd time to do so. But finally someone informed me that these were photo shoots for Japanese Bridal magazines and catalogs. Well, this explained it all.

3) Girl plucking her eyebrows are the train. Is this bitch serious? I have previously written about behaviors that some people seem to think are appropriate to do on the train. Even though these things confuse and annoy the hell out of me, I am always surprised when I see something that shocks me even more so. I mean, who plucks their eyebrows in public, let alone on a moving vehicle in front of so many other people? So. Strange. There is a time and place for this grooming habit. And it is not on the morning commute.

4) Man snot rocketing on the train and NO ONE moving but me. Okay, so a snot rocket is totally not big deal. I do it from time to time when I am running or as a last resort if I don't have a Kleenex.  When I do it, I will turn away from people and do it so no one has to see or hear it. Well, one morning on the train on my way to work, a homeless man (I assumed by his clothing and bags) sat down almost directly across from me. He was next to the person across from me. About two stops in, he just looks down and snot rockets on the floor of the train. Everyone had a mortified, grossed out look on their faces, yet stayed put. All but me. Totally disgusted and not wanting to see what he did next or get any more germs on me, I got up and moved to the far end of the train car. Everyone else stayed. I couldn't believe it. The poor man across from him looked like he was going to puke, but just stayed there. I think he was afraid of what the man might do. I would not have been surprised if he, or the people next to the homeless man got snot on them, yet no one moved. I could not believe my eyes. If you are all cool with that, so be it, but I most certainly am not. GROSS.

5) People "walking" their pets in baby strollers. I have seen this on more than one occasion. I have seen it both with dogs and cats in strollers. And each time, I can't help but stare at the crazy. When I used to live downtown, there was a woman in my apartment complex who would do this. Every morning when I would go for my run at 6 am, I would see the same woman in a full face of make-up walking her cat in a baby stroller. Every morning. How can you not giggle at that? So bizarre.

After seeing some of this stuff, I just get that grin on my face and that "Only in New York" look in my eyes. And as odd as it is, there is always a something new and odd constantly occuring in this wonderful city. I am sure I missed a few things that I have pushed out of my mind and I am sure I will continue to see things that I could add to this list. That is the one of the many beauties of New York. A surprise around every corner. Good, bad, funny, or gross...there is always something. And it keeps me on my toes.