I've been riding the subways long enough....

...to know that if, in an otherwise packed train there's one train that is fairly empty, you never ever ever ever get into that empty car. Never.

Click here to continueIn the summer, it may mean that the air conditioning is broken, which is only good if you're trying to lose weight and suffocate at the same time. The only other plausible explanation is that it smells really really really bad, most likely from a homeless guy taking a crap or carrying a week-old corpse in his shopping cart.

Well, that was exactly the case (a homeless guy) as I boarded a downtown F-train at 14th St. I mean, On the stinky-o-meter, if the horse carriage path in Central Park is a 50, then that subway car was about 94, high on both unplesantness and intensity.

The door closed behind me before I could get out, so I, along with about 10 unlucky riders, had to endure the pain before running for dear life at W 4th. I'd give the homeless guy a good talking to if I could. I wonder if he reads Missed Connections.

In any case, lesson learned. Again.