Paperboy

If you rely on NY public transportation each and every morning like I do, you are familiar with the Metro and the AM New York. On our commute each morning, New York subway riders have the choice of grabbing a free copy of either paper. Or, even one of each- if one is so inclined. Hey, there aren't many things offered for free in the city, however I did get a sandwich once right outside Grand Central Station. Pepperidge Farm was publicizing their new deli flats- delish!

Granted, these publications are written on a fourth grade reading level and contain little actual news, but they are in full color and have a daily sudoku, which I do enjoy. And yes, sometimes I do get one of each paper- just for the sudoku. Each of these fine publications does give blurbs on actual timely news & as well as offer dining suggestions and list events going on in the city.

The most exciting thing about these papers, I find, are the actual guys who are handing these newspapers out. Not only are these publications free, but someone gets paid to had them to you. This is not the case at each subway stop, but at the larger stations- these guys take their job seriously. And I don't mean that in an annoying, critical way- they are so delightful.

There is the obvious, and most often heard, "AM New York" repeated over and over, or perhaps, "Morning Metro, get your Metro here." But my favorite are the two guys at the downtown 4-5-6 86th Street Station who holler out morning headlines. Today, "Let's go Yankees." "How about those Yankees?" "Bloomberg gets four more years."

It doesn't come across well here- in writing- as I try to relay what it is that I enjoy so much about their banter. They just rattle on and on, back and forth, handing out newspapers. It's in the dialect and continual lines that flow out of their mouths. It's entertaining to me, like an auctioneer. This morning I got the line, "Hey there baby. Headed to school this morning? Don't get sent to the principals office."