Thursday, April 17, 2008

Like an open circuit or something

When I was a kid, I had a fairly decent memory, but for one thing: places and scenes would always reverse. The details were all there, but upon returning I would always find everything in mirror-image from what I expected.

There's some version of this in New York. I enter and exit the same subway stations every day. In the morning I get on and off at the uptown platforms, and in the evening, the downtown platforms. And in my mind there is absolutely no connection between the two. Meaning that when I stand there and gaze across the tracks at the opposite platform while waiting for the train, it has nothing to do with the platform I will use at another time of day. So for example today when a friend and I parted company and each got on a different platform, I never thought to look across and see him there.

2 comments:

AMT said...

... i used to do that all the time in toronto. and then i would look across at the other platform and think "wait, did [the person i just said goodbye to] change their mind? ... oh, wait, no. that IS where they should be."

edmonton, with its platforms in the middle of the tracks, makes more sense. sadly, edmonton, with trains going in either direction coming to either side of the middle platform, makes no sense.

M said...

Yes! Something is coming back to me... being utterly confused trying to get on the train to go to University at a station I usually used to go in the direction of Clareview.

Also, don't you always feel as though when you get on, the train is moving one way, and when you get off, the momentum is in another direction?