Thursday, September 16, 2010

NYC Subway Station Stairs


The NYC transit system is finding more and more ways to annoy me, but I actually am surprised at how little I've been angry at it lately. Sure, now trains wait for others across the platform, service changes derail getting to places in a timely fashion, but for some reason, the G train I think runs fairly well.

I think the one thing that bothers me irrationally about subway stations is the size of the steps on the stairwells. It's not the stations' faults, it's a combination of my height the depth of the steps. They either aren't deep enough, not shallow enough. When I run up one by one, I feel like I'm getting nowhere and expending too much energy for stairs. Maybe it's the bouncing from step to step in a straight line and with each step because they are a hair too small you're like, "when am I ever going to get to the top?"

Going two steps at a time is good though, but I feel like I've had a couple of pairs of ripped jeans solely because of that. Maybe I should just take my time on the stairs and walk slow, that way the pace matches the actual progression up the stairs.

Yet, I've been caught too many times going up or down the stairs behind someone who I determine is walking TOO slow. What is too slow you ask? Tough question, but part of my perception correlates to if I think the person in front of me is capable of moving with a little more speed and just is being leisurely or incredibly safe. I dunno. All I know is if I'm charging up step by step and a person is taking their time, those two put together make me feel like I'm running in place even more. The bigger the stairs the better I feel actually, such as Atlantic-Pacific.

Slow news week? Yeah you guessed it.

Photo courtesy of APP.com. If you click on that link, it's a pretty awesomely weird story. I dare you.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Me Rikey New Noodles and Soup: Naruto Ramen in Park Slope

I love noodles. I love pasta. Barring several favorite foods, I think I could eat any form of noodles at any time. I just ate some pasta salad tonight. It was extremely awesome.

I was walking down 5th Ave. and noticed that a new Naruto Ramen (there's another one in Manhattan) whose "grund opening" this week on Sept. 10th (yes it's complete with typo on the door) is awesome punk rock music to my ears. It's no St. Mark's noodle house (the dishes are a little more expensive but hopefully just as good) but definitely something new to bring to the neighborhood to liven up the food options. The menu is somewhat limited in comparison as well but think of it as something to take out or a quick bite of what I kind of call Asian soul food.

There's just something to the idea that you can have something chewy and soft and in the case of long noodles, a large, unending type of food that sauce and other collective ingredients adhere to, along for the ride into my tummy. Carbonara, chow fun, whatever it is. Bowls and bowls of noodles. Noodles noshing around yum yum yum yum...

Here's the front of the takeout menu:
Fish cakes and boiled eggs, that's not what Maryland does.
Speaking of delicious, here's some Hi-Standard with special appearances by Fat Mike and No Use For A Name: