the worst time of year

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..." for millions of people that flock to NYC between Thanksgiving and New Years to get into the holiday spirit, shop, walk around and whatever else it is they do.  So far the weather has been wonderful so all those people are outside on the sidewalks enjoying their vacation.

What does this mean for commuters?  Let me tell you, this is the WORST time of year for me.  OK, so maybe I AM one of those 'typical rude New Yorker' I hear so much about.  But there are two sides to every story.  1)  I think I am nice. I will answer questions about directions or take a picture.  I will let you know if you dropped something.  I do not go out of my way to be rude, but I have places to be.  BUT 2) I really just want to get from Grand Central to work and from work back to Grand Central in a somewhat rushed fashion.  There is a difference between subways and trains, mainly that the trains do not run every few minutes.  So for commuters we really just want to make our train so we don't have to wait 30 - 60 minutes for the next one when it is off-peak.  So YES, we do walk quickly and YES we do get annoyed when there are 5 people in your party and you are taking up the WHOLE sidewalk so passing becomes difficult.  We DO get annoyed when you suddenly stop and we (almost) bump into you.  We are frustrated that the sidewalks are so crowded.  And we are annoyed when you are walking on the wrong side - not that that part is a real thing, but if you drive on the right, you should walk on the right...this saves a lot of zig-zagging time.  When it rains/snows it is like you've never seen it before and don't know how to walk...sure you might get a little wet but keep moving!  And be courteous with that umbrella; you don't need a monstrous umbrella if you are teeny-tiny. And those of us that are not addicted to our phones/MP3 player or whatever else get annoyed because you don't know how to talk and walk at the same time and you DO drastically slow down when you text and walk.  Finally, even the trains/subways are more crowded...but listen to the announcements and use your common sense, do NOT waste the seats with your big bags - put them on the overhead rack, talk in civilized voices and is it so hard to keep your 5 year old from screaming the whole train ride, they aren't a baby anymore - teach them manners and how to be respectful when out in public.

If I could work from home for the next 40 days, I would be really happy and my stress level would be decreased.  Unfortunately I do not have that luxury, so this time of year is the absolute worst time to commute to work and makes me want to add to my New Year's resolution to find a job closer to home.