Dude, to other dude with a small backpack: Is that the new backpack nano? What do you have in there, an apple and a bottle of water? You carrying acorns around in there? One package of skittles? An abridged copy of…The Old Man and the Sea?
Backpack dude: Do I really have to explain my backpack to you?
–L Train
Overheard by: ultra-condensed movies
Black guy (spotting a friend): Hey man, what's up? You know you one ugly motherfucka? (laughs)
Black guy #2: Dude, youse the ugly nigga. You've been one ugly motherfucka for ten years.
Black guy #1: You've been an ugly motherfucka since you was born.
(time passes, they talk in their separate groups of friends. Black guy #1 gets off train)
Black guy #2's friend: Yo, your ugly nigga just left.
Black guy #2: He is one ugly mothafucka isn't he? (laughs).
–1 Train
Subway beggar to the people on train : Yo, my daughter just died and I don't have any money to bury her… (recognizes someone on the train) Yo!
Man on the train: Hey! How's the wife?
Subway beggar: Oh, she good, she good. She be working too! She working on the 4 line!
–1 Train
Overheard by: Faye
Guy: Touche.
Girl: Isn't that Japanese for “okay”?
–F Train
History genius: Was Bush president in 2002?
Friend: Yeah, he was elected in 2000.
History genius: Oh. (pause) So, if he gets elected again, he'll be president until 2016?
–V Train
Overheard by: Jordan
Hipster guy: He's 65?
Hipster girl: I think so, yes, he's a photographer.
Hipster guy: I just don't understand what the attraction is.
Hipster girl: Well, it's not like I want to have some Hollywood romance, I just want to go over to his apartment and like eat a sandwich and play with his dog.
–Uptown A Train
Girl: So, our assignment was to bring in something “beautiful” for art class.
Friend: Uh huh.
Girl: And I brought in a picture of the sunset. But this other girl brought in trash and the teacher loved it! And I was like, thinking trash is beautiful was a new idea like ten years ago, you know?
Friend: Actually, not really.
Girl: Oh, well, like ten years ago someone tried to start this thing where trash was pretty, but like, no one is still doing that!
–1 Train
Pregnant Latina: So I've been really thinking about what I want, and I want a ranch.
Thug: A ranch? What for?! When you have a ranch you gotta have animals, nigga. It's a whole different kind of struggle.
Pregnant Latina: I just want a ranch.
Thug: Well you better make it a gun ranch.
–Uptown 4 Train
Overheard by: Jenni
Girl to older sister: Man, you have so many problems. Mom once said that otherwise she thought you could get all kinds of money for your eggs from infertile couples but you're just, like, so messed up.
Older sister: Yeah, but whatever. I can understand why people don't want eggs from an epileptic thyroidless girl. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm excited to have my own potentially epileptic and thyroidless children, but other people just…don't understand.
Girl: Yeah, your people are just so misunderstood.
–1 Train
Overheard by: I understand!
Immigrant girl: No! Jessica has da same accent as me!
Guy: Nah, man, Jessica speaks English mad affluent.
–1 Train
Overheard by: Miguel
