Ah, the Big Apple. The city that never sleeps. The city so nice, they named it twice. Also the city where you might spontaneously collapse on the subway for no reason at all on your way to work. It was the summer of 2012 and I had been commuting from New Jersey to Queens every day for the past 3 months. On a normal day, this was about a 2-hour commute (3 separate trains) in each direction, not including any complications that might arise along the way. It was my second to last day of work and I was running over an hour late due to major train delays. Because of these delays, everyone was packed in the train car like sardines for over an hour. When we finally were able to get off, I sprinted to the subway, charged up the steps, reached the train just as the doors were closing, grabbed onto the pole and…..blacked out. The next thing I remember was waking up on the subway tracks in Times Square with EMTs asking me for an emergency contact number. When I realized I couldn’t remember my home phone number, I figured a hospital visit might be a good idea. Needless to say, I did not make it into work that day.
Pro-tip: If rushing around, loud noises, close spaces, or crowds freak you out, New York is not the place for you.