On the Subway

Woman: It’s difficult to live in New York without money.
Friend: Definitely.
Woman: My biggest regret is not marrying for money when I had the chance.
Friend: Mark?
Woman: Mark, Paul… I had a lot of chances to marry rich. I would have had two kids by now… But, you know, it’s not really all about the money… It’s about the social connections, too.

–6 train

Overheard by:

Conductor on crowded rush hour train: The next stop is Delancy Street, and I order at least half of you to get off this train at that station.
(train arrives at station)
Conductor: Get out!
(train is leaving station)
Conductor: This is a not-so-crowded f train to Brooklyn. Stand clear of the closing doors.

–F Train

Overheard by: Miri

Mom: If you don’t behave, you’re not going to get any milk. Oh, no, you’re going to get soy milk.
Screaming child: Nooo!
Mom: Yes. Soy milk. Just like when daddy was a vegan. And we don’t want that, now do we?

–1 train, near Columbia

Man: Do you need some help with that stroller, Miss?
Mom to kid in stroller: This ain’t no Bum-a-Ride — get up, fool.

–A train, Rockaway Blvd

Hipster girl: You know, I was really, really dreading that family dinner, but it wasn’t so bad…
Mom, complacently stroking umbrella: Yeah, apart from the part where he tried to stick the knife down your pants, I thought it went really well!

–F train

Girl #1: So, seriously, his name is Meredith? Like “A Boy Named Sue?” Seriously?
Girl #2: Yeah, seriously, it's like that show… The one with, you know, the guy, and that's his name… You know, that show we watched last night.
Girl #1: Yeah, that show, with the hot guys?
Girl #2: Yeah, seriously hot.
Girl #1: Seriously.

–6 Train

Overheard by: I don't think they were serious

Middle-Aged woman: I don’t know why everyone is giving Mel Gibson such a hard time. He didn’t kill six million Jews; the Nazis killed six million Jews. And you never hear anyone say anything bad about the Nazis.

–1 train, 110th St

Overheard by: Eli Feldblum

Teen girl #1: I was thinking about Daylight Savings Time yesterday, and I was wondering… When we, like, lose an hour, are there still 24 hours in a day?
Teen girl #2: Hmmm… I don’t really know… I guess not…

–2 train

Overheard by: scared for the future of america

Schoolgirl #1: The sun rises in the west and sets in the east, right?
Schoolgirl #2: No, no, no! It rises in the east! Girl, you need to learn your temperatures!

–N train

Teen boy #1: We’re getting back pretty late. What are you going to tell your mom?
Teen boy #2: I’ll say we were at dinner until 10:00, and–
Teen boy #1: No way! We went to dinner at 6:15! There’s no such thing as a four hour dinner!
Teen boy #2: Okay, I’ll say that we went to dinner at 7:15, and that we stayed until 8:45 because it was a buffet…then we went and hung out at Times Square–
Teen boy #1: You should tell her that I did something bad, otherwise she’ll be suspicious.

–N train

Girl #1: I heard on a show that Times Square was getting seedy again.
Girl #2: Times Square should be seedy. Tourists come here and they want to see hookers and pimps and drug dealers hanging around. Not the Prudential Financial display.

–Times Square