'Shining and Perishable'
Friday, January 30, 2015 / 6:26 PM
“It was once suggested to me that, as an antidote to crying, I put my head in a paper bag. As it happens, there is a sound physiological reason, something to do with oxygen, for doing exactly that, but the psychological effect alone is incalculable: it is difficult in the extreme to continue fancying oneself Cathy in "Wuthering Heights" with one's head in a Food Fair bag.” -Joan Didion
I've always had this feeling that New York was trying to physically eject me from its system. I'm pretty sure every transplant feels that way at one point or another here in this city that never, ever sleeps.
So...my 30-day Unlimited MetroCard won't work. It just won't work at any turnstile. I literally just bought the card Wednesday evening--two days ago. I used it without issues all day Thursday. I stored my card in the exact same pocket of my purse that every card before it has sat. On Friday morning, as I was running to catch the morning 1 train, my card wouldn't work. I tried three times before giving in and using my backup card I keep with a few dollars on it.
The same thing happened as I was rushing off this afternoon to a shoot at NYU. Post-work, I went to the station attendant at Union Square and asked what was wrong and what could be done. She punched a few keys on her computer after inspecting my card and slid it back to me. "You have to call 511," she said.
"But what's wrong with my card?" I asked.
"Call 511." At least she let me through the service door without having to swipe a card.
On the back of every card is a note to call 511 or go online to MTA's eFix website to learn more about how to solve MetroCard problems. I jumped on the website on my phone while waiting for the train and discovered the only option was to fill out a form (more on that below) and snail mail in my card.
I stopped off at 30 Rock to use the printer, but first stopped at the station booth in case the attendant could give me more information or, heaven forbid, a new card.
No such luck.
So...my 30-day Unlimited MetroCard won't work. It just won't work at any turnstile. I literally just bought the card Wednesday evening--two days ago. I used it without issues all day Thursday. I stored my card in the exact same pocket of my purse that every card before it has sat. On Friday morning, as I was running to catch the morning 1 train, my card wouldn't work. I tried three times before giving in and using my backup card I keep with a few dollars on it.
The same thing happened as I was rushing off this afternoon to a shoot at NYU. Post-work, I went to the station attendant at Union Square and asked what was wrong and what could be done. She punched a few keys on her computer after inspecting my card and slid it back to me. "You have to call 511," she said.
"But what's wrong with my card?" I asked.
"Call 511." At least she let me through the service door without having to swipe a card.
On the back of every card is a note to call 511 or go online to MTA's eFix website to learn more about how to solve MetroCard problems. I jumped on the website on my phone while waiting for the train and discovered the only option was to fill out a form (more on that below) and snail mail in my card.
I stopped off at 30 Rock to use the printer, but first stopped at the station booth in case the attendant could give me more information or, heaven forbid, a new card.
No such luck.
