And the Universe Smiles on the F

The F train has been an adventuresome and glorious train of late.

Tonight, there were two men singing when I entered at Broadway-Lafayette. They sat across from each other and sang folkish songs with guitars and harmonicas. I have never seen anyone perform on the subway without walking around, asking for money. These two guys would just sing and say “Thank you” at the end of each song. They were wonderful.

“We’re from Arkansas,” one said at the end of a one number. “We’re going to Dublin tomorrow.”

They both had beards.

One song they sang had a chorus that repeated, “Take a whiff on me.” During another song, the man with the darker beard turned to a passenger and said “hi” between verses. I smiled at the five or so other people in the car, and they smiled back.

I approached the two men and asked them a couple questions, reporter’s notebook at the ready.

“I work for a newspaper,” I said.

Their name, it seems, are the “Damn Bullets.” And they really are leaving for Dublin tomorrow.

“Aw, we should stay in New York and get in the newspaper,” one said to the other.

I have never tapped my toe so hard on a train trip. The world is stunning tonight. Glimmering.


Separately, last week I was on the F train and heard an announcement that I absolutely loved:

“Thank you for riding New York City Transit,” the conductor said. “We move New York, above ground or below. We run this city.”