A Vacation In Pictures: Adventures Around NYC

So I woke up early today to go to my uncles, who live in the Bronx… mind you, I am staying in New Jersey. I called my uncle and wrote the address carefully: West 228 Street.

I called NJ Transit to ask for the best route to get there, and they said:

“Take the 159 bus to 42^nd Street Port Authority in Manhattan, then take the C train which will take you to 125 Street. The 159 bus will pass by at 9am where you are located.”

Great! I got ready and ran to the bus stop a few minutes before 9. The bus ride from NJ to NYC lasted about 30 minutes until I arrived to Port Authority.

Okay, I got to the subway station where I was supposed to get the C train but before doing that, I checked the subway map posted on the wall, just to make sure….

"WAIT! The operator told me 125 Street! That doesn’t make any sense?! I have to go to 228 Street. There’s NO way I’ll walk 103 blocks."

I ran to the closest information booth and asked again how to get to my destination:

“Oh! Just take the 2 train uptown to 228 Street… look, here it is.” – she said showing me the map.

Ok, 2 train it is.

The subway ride was freaking 50 minutes long! Thank God I brought my iPod and a book. Once I got to my uh....... ’destination’, I walked down the stairs and said to myself:

“Finally! After 90 minutes! Uh, wait… Where am I? I don’t remember this neighborhood being like this? E 228 Street… No, it can’t be… IT CAN’T BE!”

I was on East 228 Street, not West 228 Street……yyyeah (click on the map for better view).

The salesperson at the furniture store behind me said that in order to go to West 228 St., I had to take the 41 bus and THEN connect to the 9 bus towards Broadway and that will ultimately take me to my REAL destination.

I walked down the street to the nearest bus stop and the sign called for the 41 bus. It arrived after a few minutes. JUST to be sure, I asked the bus driver:

Me: “Excuse me! Does this bus connect to the 9 bus? And, will it take me to W 228 Street?

Bus Driver: “Yo! Whatttup! Ye, this bus will take ya to tha 9 bus if yous stop at Foar’mm…”

Me: “Pardon me. If I stop where?”

BD: “Foar’mm, foar’mm”

Me: “Wa? Four?”

BD: “Foaarr’mmmm”

Me: “Oh! Ford-ham! I get it!”

BD: “Don’tcha kno young lady?

Me: “I am sorry sir, but I come from out of state”

BD: “Oh. Aight! Ye, I’ll let yah kno when I show up at tha street… Aight?! Bus 9 should takes ya to Broadway and 2-2-8.”

Me: “Alright. Thank you sir!”

BD: “Ye… T’sall gewd!”

Finally I connect to the 9 bus, which by the way was the sloooowest bus I’ve ever been in. Over an hour later, I FINALLY got to West 228 Street! Geez!

Total trip time? About 3 hours…

Total money spent on transportation? $8.55

Getting the right information on how to get from point A to point B in NYC? Priceless!

... and no, I didn’t use MasterCard… Ugh, I am exhausted. I'm going to bed now...