Path news

It was a sad Monday morning commute for the Jersey crowd this week, after some disheartening news came on last Friday's PATH-ride to work.

After saying his usually 33rd street schpiel, the PATH conductor, the one with the pin-filled hat, added his usual something extra with a "Thank God it's Friday. Hopefully it is pay-day for you. If so, I hope you don't spend it all in one place," and that's when he dropped the bad-news bomb, "on behalf of myself and the crew, it has been our pleasure serving you, but effective Monday, there will be a schedule change and I will no longer be with you on your morning commute." For some reason this saddened me. I liked the something extra he would add. The prayers for the hurricane victims, or timely jokes about sports or the weather...

I remember just last week when he said, "I hope you have an umbrella, and if you don't, you better run to the dollar store and get one because the rain's a-comin'." And sure enough, by the commute home, the rain was coming down. How could they just switch it up like that on us? I hate change. I was just getting to know this guy. I had actually started pausing my music at the end of my ride in order to hear what he had to say. Seriously.

So, this Monday morning's commute was an especially solemn one. I rode the PATH with my head lowered, and not because I was nodding off to sleep. Then as we approached 33rd Street, in memory of Pin Hat, I said to myself, "Thank God it's Monday, only three more days till Friday."

I will miss you, Former Morning Conductor. Thanks for making me smile for nearly a year. With luck one day, when I am drunk at 2AM, I will stumble upon your train again. Hopefully. Someday.