Lost in New York City

One memorable New York event which I completely forgot to include in the previous post involves yet another taxi driver and winding up on the wrong end of Manhattan... at night.

It all happened when I took the wrong Subway route coming back from Brooklyn Bridge. The routes divide up into either green or red. Green is for east and red for west. My hotel was on West 99th Street. Now there was a direct service to East 99th but to go to West 99th I need to make several changes. It was getting late, cold and I was tired and hungry. Somehow I thought if I get off at East then I can simply walk across, cutting through Central Park.How wrong was I.

Exiting the Subway stop to a dark street, few cars on the road and with the only bright light coming from a dingy 24 hour convenience store, my gut was telling me what a bad plan I hatched. I stepped inside to ask anyone which way is west. The store owner along with this Latina lady told me plainly that it was almost impossible to walk to West 99th. They advised me to get back onto the Subway and find someway to change onto the red route. Oh dear.

Standing on the street corner with my map, I did think to just walk it. But then a taxi suddenly pulled over and the driver told me to get in. I thanked the universe again for my luck. The driver, while friendly and chatty, did not hesitate to lecture me on the dangers of walking around the city by myself at night, especially as a tourist. He said he knew instantly what I was thinking of doing when he saw me with the map (and no doubt with the look that said "I know it's not the best idea but I might as well give it a try...") He said that Central Park is no place to be walking through when it's dark. His point was emphasised by one entrance cornered off by police cars and ambulances. Duly noted.

Since arriving home all safe and well, I would like to give a big shout out to the New York taxi driver who took me back to the right side of the city. And yes I promise that if it happens again walking around will be the last option.