Because I am going out with my friend tonight, I switched off with Chris and did drop off at school for Kaia. Drop off was really smooth. Unlike in the evenings, she was eager to walk all the way to the subway station and on the stairs. She happily held my hand most of the way and as always, peered out the window in wonderment as the train went fast and as we went through different stations. The train came and went quickly without any hiccups. Kaia even walked all the way up the stairs getting out of the station once we reached Chinatown. Because we got there a bit early, and I hate waiting in that little corridor in front of her school, I took her to my favorite fresh rice noodle shop, Yi Ji Shi Mo, so that I could pick up a fresh jug of soy milk. I brought her to the front of the school as soon as the doors opened. She ran in, and out I went to pick up a few produce items. When I got back into the subway station, I saw there was. 10-minute wait until the next train. And then when the train finally came, it kept stalling at stations and between stations. Later on, the conductor said that there was a signal malfunction at 59th Street (that’s my stop!), so we’d continue to have long waits until we finally reached my end point.

So, while I was lucky to get to school quickly and efficiently today, I was not that lucky on the way back. End to end, I probably spent 30 minutes on the train today for what is typically a 13-minute ride. It was annoying and not fun at all, though I was lucky since I didn’t have any calls until 11am. There are certainly pros and cons of relying on the subway, especially when it’s only 26 degrees outside and all you want to do is hibernate under some thick blankets.