Guy next to me on the 6 train broke down why I should ditch my music playlist for silence

Riding the 6 from Brooklyn Bridge to 86th. This older dude sees me fumbling for my earbuds and just goes "you ever try riding without those?" I laughed it off but he kept talking. Said he spent 20 years commuting with headphones and realized he missed all the little sounds of the city that made the trip feel alive instead of just a grind. I tried it yesterday. No music. No podcasts. Just the train noise and people talking. It was weird at first but my head felt less cluttered after. Anyone else given up audio on their commute?

2 comments

2 Comments

paulmitchell18d ago

Man, that reminds me of this guy I used to see on the F train every morning who read his newspaper out loud to himself. Not like mumbling, full on reading. People would glare at him but he didn't care. After a few weeks I started listening in instead of blocking him out. He was just narrating headlines and sports scores, I think he was half blind or something. It became this weird part of my morning, like a free news report. Miss that guy.

grant.felix18d ago

@paulmitchell yeah i get that. kinda miss my weird train guy too, man.