Only In New York

I've seen something interesting on the streets and/or subways of Manhattan, every time I've gone in. Every time.

I had dinner w/ Jeannie and Rob tonight (or more accurately w/ Jeannie, and Rob joined us after he finished work). On the subway, waiting for the L train, a man on the other side of the tracks was singing classic rock with his guitar. The tracks were being cleaned (do they do it every Thursday?) and I was standing there long enough to hear a few numbers, including In the Midnight Hour.

An old man on my side of the tracks, hunched over on a bench, was in rapt attention, as if he hadn't heard the song in years. Rapt. When the singer was finished, the old man called out and practically begged him to play the song again. He offered to ride the L train up one stop and back down again in order to reach the singer and give him a dollar. That is how desperate he was to hear In the Midnight Hour.

The singer agreed and began again. The old guy seemed as if he was listening to gospel.

It was wonderful.