My favorite part about public transportation is the lull it gives to the sleep deprived that gently tempts us into the siren-like call of sleep. I discovered the comfortable sleeping environment the MTA had to offer in high school after I fell into a pattern of procrastination and turned into a sleep deprived zombie, a rite of passage most teenagers get to go through in high school.
Unlike most of my peers, I commuted to and from high school by bus, rather than train. The bus stopped almost in front of my home, and brought me right up to the bridge leading up to the entrance. The entire journey took roughly half an hour which meant that I had an extra hour of sleep each day, assuming I was able to snag a seat both times in the round trip from home to school. Each morning I commuted with roughly twenty other fellow classmates, half of whom also lost consciousness over in the rear section of the bus. Being able to commute with so many of my peers brought forth a sense of camaraderie that I had never felt before. Despite the fact that New York is known for its cold residents who want nothing to do with one another, I feel that falling asleep on public transportation reveals the vulnerabilities of tired New Yorkers (and their bags and wallets unguarded in the open) who are just normal commuters trying to make up for their lack of sleep.
