Bayside to Penn Station

Aug 05, 2018 · 14 comments
Steve (Tennessee)
Reminds me of the train conductor character in The Polar Express, played by Tom Hanks.
HapinOregon (Southwest Corner of Oregon)
Another example why Metropolitan Diary is my first read with my first cup of coffee...
Allen J. Share (Native New Yorker)
Hah! I couldn’t tell where your story was going Constance until your surprising and happy “punch line.” Nice to end the weekend and begin the new week with a smile. Thank you for yet another delightful Diary entry.
Dean (Connecticut)
Another smiley face for Constance: :-) From Dean in CT ;-)
Person (NYC)
Giggling!
Paul (Brooklyn)
It reminds me of the old saying, better late than never but better never late.
jazz one (Wisconsin)
:)
MIKEinNYC (NYC)
I ride the LIRR frequently. I think they do a fantastic job. On my way into Manhattan the trains always show up on time to pick me up at my local station. Because of various delays, usually occasioned by Amtrak, they don't always arrive at Penn as per the scheduled time but they're close and I don't mind too much because I get to mess with the phone. Thanks LIRR and employees.
Freddie (New York NY)
@MIKEinNYC - My Uncle was always impressed with the service into NYC, and liked to cheerfully say "Lead us now into Penn Station!" He would have loved the wonderful more recent double-decker trains.
Linda Maryanov (New York, NY)
As a daily commuter and MD contributor, I loved this story. Started my day with a smile.
Sharifa Abdul-Wahid (Savannah, Georgia)
This made me smile! Thanks for the reminder.
Freddie (New York NY)
I hope you kept that ticket, and if so, it brings you the happiness the ticket collector seems to have meant. What a wonderful reversal, and you made it build so well - all that intense deliberation arousing curiosity, some suspense building, and that joyful surprise ending.
Constance (New York, NY)
@Freddie Thank your for your supportive comment. Of course, I kept the ticket as a good luck charm. It makes me smile, every time I look at it.
Freddie (New York NY)
"Punch Out a Happy Face" tune of "Put On a Happy Face" (actually, you can just substitute the words in the real song!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_CE7GqqrvY