Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, started off as a mainly Jewish and Italian residential area in the early 20th century. In the 1950s, a large influx of immigrants from Southern Italy and a sizable outflow of Jews from the area transformed the place into the “Little Italy” of Brooklyn. The 2000 census showed a strong Italian-speaking community of 20,000, but an aging population is slowly making this tight-knit Italian community a thing of the past. New Chinese businesses, including restaurants and delis, reveal the rapid increase of the Asian American population here. Although Bensonhurst still retains some of its old Italian traditions (such as yearly summer Italian parades), it has begun a rapid transformation into a dynamic Asian American neighborhood.

After a quick drive during the quiet and monotonous early hours of 18th ave, I arrive at the 18th Ave-65th Atreet N-train station in Brooklyn. The daily (and painful) commute to school starts in what seems like a lead splattered, toxic, and abandoned WWII train station.

After the first couple of stops, the train goes and stays underground for almost the whole ride to school except when it crosses the Manhattan Bridge. This means that besides a brief (but nice) view of lower Manhattan, all you see is tired and seemingly clinically depressed people. However, as you rumble through the annoying high schoolers, debilitating smells, and migraine-inducing, stupid, and loud conversations, you almost always get to notice a myriad of interesting characters enter and leave the train: from musicians, to performers, to exotically dressed people.

The initial fight to the death for that one open seat is followed by a blatant defeat from some old lady who looks at me as if the seat is hers. Ashamed at taking the only seat left, I stand up for the rest of the ride while being groped (hopefully accidentally) by random dudes at times during rush hours. As I get pushed around, in my mind I ask the universe what I did to deserve the N-train.

Although I don’t stop anywhere, the N train does go through some major NYC points of interest. The first major location is Flatbush Ave/Pacific St. Once the train stops here, the passengers, mostly Asian American and white up to this point, becomes much more diverse as Latinos and African Americans enter the train. The Atlantic Avenue stop is part of the vibrant Brooklyn Heights/Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood. This area has developed into a diverse residential/higher education location, with a vibrant community of artists, students, etc. With high rents and abundance of hipsters, this area is is surely a prime neighborhood for anybody who can afford it.

The N train then goes through lower Manhattan, passing other interesting places like Canal Street station–a quick walk to the city’s famous Chinatown. The next major stop is 14th Street (Union Square), a very vibrant center of arts, shopping, and entertainment for this part of the borough. In fact, Union Square has been the center of some major social and political activism over the past century–especially as a frequent gathering point for city radicals to hold speeches and to demonstrate. The first Labor Day celebration, in which 10,000 workers participated, took place on September 5th, 1882. Nowadays, the square is an important part of Manhattan, attracting tourists and locals to huge greenmarkets and quirky local businesses.

The next stop is 23rd Street, the place where I get off and my pain ends, only to resume in the afternoon for roughly another hour.