Am I not special enough a snowflake to deserve a welcome party?
October 17, 2011 8:46 AM Subscribe
New Yorkers, when a very dear friend visits from out of town, do you pick them up at Penn Station or do you have them catch a cab?
I'm not sure if I am justified at being upset that I was not met at the station. The excuse I was given was that there was nowhere to wait. This person usually drives, does not take the subway. I would not make a big deal of this but the cab line was miles long and it was drizzling and I had a heavy bag and my back was hurting and I'd been in the train for hours. If relevant, the cab ride cost about $15.
I'm not sure if I am justified at being upset that I was not met at the station. The excuse I was given was that there was nowhere to wait. This person usually drives, does not take the subway. I would not make a big deal of this but the cab line was miles long and it was drizzling and I had a heavy bag and my back was hurting and I'd been in the train for hours. If relevant, the cab ride cost about $15.
Oh, also holds true in Boston for Logan and South Station.
posted by FlamingBore at 8:50 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by FlamingBore at 8:50 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
There's an article somewhere by someone that says that is one of the bonuses of the big city- you don't have to meet anyone at the airport. That could be expanded also to train station. It's difficult to meet up, too many entrances, the person would have had to circle the block a million times- yes it would have been NICE if they picked you up. But they didn't. And that's not a big New York digression from normal behavior for what it's worth.
posted by bquarters at 8:51 AM on October 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by bquarters at 8:51 AM on October 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
I don't think this is worth getting upset over. Parking in NYC can be really really hard -- take your friend's statement at face value -- there probably was nowhere they could wait with a car! A $15 cab ride is not worth risking a dear friendship over.
posted by peacheater at 8:51 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by peacheater at 8:51 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: It's nearly impossible to find a place to wait in your car at Penn Station. What's worse, since 2001, the NYPD has been vigilant about moving waiting cars.
Taking a cab or the subway is not only acceptable, it's the only good option.
And if you're ever stuck looking at the long taxi line, you can walk a block past Penn Station, up 8th Avenue, where you'll almost always find a cab quickly.
posted by yellowcandy at 8:51 AM on October 17, 2011 [16 favorites]
Taking a cab or the subway is not only acceptable, it's the only good option.
And if you're ever stuck looking at the long taxi line, you can walk a block past Penn Station, up 8th Avenue, where you'll almost always find a cab quickly.
posted by yellowcandy at 8:51 AM on October 17, 2011 [16 favorites]
It's hard to answer this without knowing why you were expecting to be picked up, what the friend had going on that day, etc, but it's unlikely I would meet a friend at Penn Station and I'd probably have them catch a cab or train. I've even had my parents catch a cab, because going to Penn Station is horrible.
posted by sweetkid at 8:52 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by sweetkid at 8:52 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
I don't know anyone who would be caught dead in their own car near Penn Station (or pretty much anywhere near 42nd Street.) You can't really double park or idle anywhere because the location is literally swimming with police, and forget about actual parking.
posted by griphus at 8:52 AM on October 17, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by griphus at 8:52 AM on October 17, 2011 [6 favorites]
Penn Station NYC is a mob zone most of the day and in the rain, it only gets worse.
A person driving to meet you would be jumping through some serious hoops to be available to pick you up. If they chose to park, that would also be an extreme hassle for them.
I say, cut the person some slack. PSNYC is just an obnoxious place for anyone with a car. I know it sucks for you too, but the person has a few better options to get away from that DMZ.
posted by lampshade at 8:54 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
A person driving to meet you would be jumping through some serious hoops to be available to pick you up. If they chose to park, that would also be an extreme hassle for them.
I say, cut the person some slack. PSNYC is just an obnoxious place for anyone with a car. I know it sucks for you too, but the person has a few better options to get away from that DMZ.
posted by lampshade at 8:54 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Picking someone up at Penn Station is a nightmare. There are roughly three billion entrances and exits (making it difficult to locate your visitor, especially if they aren't familiar with the area) and there is nowhere to sit in your car and wait. I once picked Mr. enlarged up at Port Authority (which isn't in nearly as crazy an area as Penn Station) and I was literally reduced to tears as I attempted to navigate around horse-drawn carriages in Times Square during rush hour while I tried to find somewhere I could (illegally) pull over and wait.
posted by enlarged to show texture at 8:54 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by enlarged to show texture at 8:54 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
I never expect to be picked up at Penn Station, or an airport in NYC. Cabs are the way people travel when they don't arrive in their own car. That's how it works. THe only way I would even think to pick someone up is if they were elderly or handicapped.
posted by mmf at 8:55 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by mmf at 8:55 AM on October 17, 2011
edit...."the person arriving has a few options...."
posted by lampshade at 8:55 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by lampshade at 8:55 AM on October 17, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks, just needed to hear that. I felt all sad and lonely and unloved when none of the bloody cabs wanted to stop for me (I walked three blocks away to try to avoid the line). I ended up taking a limo that pulled up to me. It occurred to me today that I could have been abducted. Hence the AskMe.
posted by Dragonness at 8:58 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Dragonness at 8:58 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
I would definitely pick my friend up, but I don't know why anyone who lives in Manhattan would even own a car.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:02 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:02 AM on October 17, 2011
Nthing everyone above. And I owned a car in Manhattan. No one picks you up at
I think your friend could've directed you to head to another block to catch a cab since I personally NEVER wait at those taxi stands myself unless the line is super short. Those taxi stands are for tourists.
Lastly
My dad had a saying I think might help you feel a lot better about this!
"Taxi cabs melt in the rain"
Ha! It's true! The minute it starts to drizzle you can never get a cab in Manhattan.
It sounds like bad luck combined with bad weather. No one is to blame.
posted by jbenben at 9:03 AM on October 17, 2011
I think your friend could've directed you to head to another block to catch a cab since I personally NEVER wait at those taxi stands myself unless the line is super short. Those taxi stands are for tourists.
Lastly
My dad had a saying I think might help you feel a lot better about this!
"Taxi cabs melt in the rain"
Ha! It's true! The minute it starts to drizzle you can never get a cab in Manhattan.
It sounds like bad luck combined with bad weather. No one is to blame.
posted by jbenben at 9:03 AM on October 17, 2011
Well, if you were visiting for the first time or unfamiliar with NYC, it would have been nice if your friend (leaving his/her car at home) met your train, helped you with your luggage, and you both took a cab to the destination.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:04 AM on October 17, 2011 [16 favorites]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:04 AM on October 17, 2011 [16 favorites]
I used to occasionally* meet people there, but only if they'd never been to NY before and would have been flummoxed and/or terrified by the subway or finding their own cab. But I went by subway/on foot; I would never, ever have driven there to pick someone up even if I'd had a car. That would be insanity.
*I think I did it twice.
posted by DestinationUnknown at 9:05 AM on October 17, 2011
*I think I did it twice.
posted by DestinationUnknown at 9:05 AM on October 17, 2011
Hey, I wouldn't feel bad about this, largely because I'd wager your friends didn't even think about the implications of asking you to meet them elsewhere.
That said, if you're not comfortable with it, I think it's okay to ask them to meet you at Penn. To wit, my friends who work in Manhattan always offer to meet me there, but keep in mind that I'm usually arriving right around the time they get off work.
If your friends live way uptown, or live/work out in Brooklyn, I think it's totally okay for them to be sympathetic to your request but to ask you to find your way to their place if at all possible.
posted by artemisia at 9:05 AM on October 17, 2011
That said, if you're not comfortable with it, I think it's okay to ask them to meet you at Penn. To wit, my friends who work in Manhattan always offer to meet me there, but keep in mind that I'm usually arriving right around the time they get off work.
If your friends live way uptown, or live/work out in Brooklyn, I think it's totally okay for them to be sympathetic to your request but to ask you to find your way to their place if at all possible.
posted by artemisia at 9:05 AM on October 17, 2011
It's so easy to get around NYC that I never expect a ride when I visit friends/family. You also had the option to arrange for a car service to pick you up, rather than wait for a cab. Or navigate the subway. But then again, I'm a former New Yorker so I'm not intimidated by the idea like neophytes might be.
posted by litnerd at 9:07 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by litnerd at 9:07 AM on October 17, 2011
Best answer: "It occurred to me today that I could have been abducted." Now you're really being over-dramatic. You survived this particular travel ordeal and you'll be better equipped to handle future snafus as a result... revel in that!
posted by carmicha at 9:12 AM on October 17, 2011 [9 favorites]
posted by carmicha at 9:12 AM on October 17, 2011 [9 favorites]
If I "pick up" a friend somewhere, it's always to ride public transit with them.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:14 AM on October 17, 2011 [8 favorites]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:14 AM on October 17, 2011 [8 favorites]
I'd pick up a friend if they weren't that well-traveled or panic in unfamiliar situations.
posted by spec80 at 9:16 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by spec80 at 9:16 AM on October 17, 2011
Pick up meaning, I'd meet them and then take the subway.
posted by spec80 at 9:17 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by spec80 at 9:17 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
I probably wouldn't have picked you up. Even when I have people I'm over the moon about seeing I usually ask them to take a cab.
Its hard to find people at train stations and can take a long time from my apartment to get there, and if the person i'm meetings transportation is early or late its easier if they just get a taxi, car service, the subway, or a shuttle.
Although if my friend had told me they were nervous I would pick them up and I have done so for people, but they've had to ask me.
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 9:22 AM on October 17, 2011
Its hard to find people at train stations and can take a long time from my apartment to get there, and if the person i'm meetings transportation is early or late its easier if they just get a taxi, car service, the subway, or a shuttle.
Although if my friend had told me they were nervous I would pick them up and I have done so for people, but they've had to ask me.
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 9:22 AM on October 17, 2011
Your friend should have ridden the subway to meet you at Penn Station to get you through an unfamiliar place. If the subway is easy enough for them to suggest that you ride it to them, then it would have been far easier for them, being a local, to ride it to you.
It's only courtesy.
posted by inturnaround at 9:23 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's only courtesy.
posted by inturnaround at 9:23 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I always pick people up and take them on the subway, or possibly hail a cab if they have a huge amount of luggage. I do not have a car. I think I would feel rude if I did not meet people at their train, or even at LaGuardia, though I would likely not go out to JFK since it is extremely far away. I have not always had people meet me when I visit them in Boston/DC, though, and have not been offended, provided I knew in advance they were not going to meet me at the station.
posted by mlle valentine at 9:25 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by mlle valentine at 9:25 AM on October 17, 2011
I took a photo of a sign near the station that said: "No parking. Not 5 minutes. Not 30 seconds. Not at all!" It's a huge, huge hassle to try to pick someone up via car in New York, and most people I know there would never even dream of trying to do so. Don't feel bad, it wasn't you - it's just how things are.
posted by gemmy at 9:26 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by gemmy at 9:26 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
The only time I have ever picked someone up from the train station in New York or any other major, public-transportation/cab friendly city I've ever lived in is when my pre-teen sister used to come visit me. I met her train every time, until she turned about 16 and had visited me a few times, and then even she was on her own. Not out of the ordinary, not rude, just common sense.
posted by decathecting at 9:30 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by decathecting at 9:30 AM on October 17, 2011
Relevant to Boston, but applies to NYC: what I do when I have out of town guests is take the T to Logan/South Station, meet them there, and take a cab back to my house with them.
I could never imagine doing anything else, unless my guest insisted. I would feel extremely rude doing otherwise, so I understand the irritation (though not the fear of abduction).
posted by lydhre at 9:36 AM on October 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
I could never imagine doing anything else, unless my guest insisted. I would feel extremely rude doing otherwise, so I understand the irritation (though not the fear of abduction).
posted by lydhre at 9:36 AM on October 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
I think the cab lines is actually quicker than trying to scout one out yourself. Maybe there's some secret to it, but I haven't figured it out.
posted by mullacc at 9:38 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by mullacc at 9:38 AM on October 17, 2011
I agree, driving alone in NYC is very inconvenient and a hassle. I think though it would have been courteous for your friend to head down to wherever you were coming in and meet you instead of having you figure things out on your own (unless of course they couldn't be there). Despite having to use public transportation or even taking a pricey cab I'd still make the effort for a friend. Guess it just depends on who you are though.
posted by melizabeth at 9:47 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by melizabeth at 9:47 AM on October 17, 2011
I've visited many different people via Penn Station and never expected any of them to meet me there. And I don't think any ever did, except for a long-distance boyfriend, and I think LDR partners are kind of a special case. Just a friend? I'd never expect to be picked up.
posted by Stacey at 9:53 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by Stacey at 9:53 AM on October 17, 2011
No one has ever picked me up - or offered - at penn station. I have some very good friends in NYC. They know I'm a comfortable traveler (though not necessarily comfortable in NYC) though.
In DC or Boston I virtually always pick my friends up though, unless there is a reason why I can't. But I have a car.
posted by n'muakolo at 9:54 AM on October 17, 2011
In DC or Boston I virtually always pick my friends up though, unless there is a reason why I can't. But I have a car.
posted by n'muakolo at 9:54 AM on October 17, 2011
The last time I came into NY I caught a cab, of course. It wouldn't have occurred to me that my friend would pick me up. She was already graciously hosting me in her one-bedroom NY apartment, which itself was saving me about $700 in hotel costs.
posted by kate blank at 10:06 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by kate blank at 10:06 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
As a native new yorker, I tell all my friends to get their butts into a cab and then come directly to my house. From there, I'll take good care of them, but I'm absolutely not going to pick them up.
Forgetting timing issues, all of those places are pretty much out of the way for a lot of people. Then you need to factor in delays, cost of getting to these places as well as the time it takes. What could be a quick 5 minute pickup from a train station could turn into your host waiting hours for you with no confirmed end time in sight. This not only screws their day, but it also doesn't help you in the least.
Get in a cab and quit yer moanin'!
posted by darkgroove at 10:17 AM on October 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
Forgetting timing issues, all of those places are pretty much out of the way for a lot of people. Then you need to factor in delays, cost of getting to these places as well as the time it takes. What could be a quick 5 minute pickup from a train station could turn into your host waiting hours for you with no confirmed end time in sight. This not only screws their day, but it also doesn't help you in the least.
Get in a cab and quit yer moanin'!
posted by darkgroove at 10:17 AM on October 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
I would meet them on foot and ride back with them if I thought they either needed help carrying things or wouldn't be comfortable alone. But never in a car, if I had a car, which I don't.
The concern with taking limos/towncars is not abduction, but overcharging. If you have to take one, negotiate price before you get in.
posted by lampoil at 10:21 AM on October 17, 2011
The concern with taking limos/towncars is not abduction, but overcharging. If you have to take one, negotiate price before you get in.
posted by lampoil at 10:21 AM on October 17, 2011
Best answer: Livery cabs (what you took) are licensed and regulated by the NYC TLC, just like yellow cabs. No reason to worry. Any sketchy-ness you perceived was probably due to the fact that livery cabs are prohibited from picking up street hails. The driver just didn't want to get caught, most likely.
Just remember: if the center lights (letters and numbers) on top of the yellow cab are lit, it's available. If the whole thing is dark, the cabbie already has a fare. If the off duty lights are on (regardless of the center lights) they can only stop if your destination is considered on the way to their garage or home.
And yes, cabs quickly become scarce when it's raining. And between 4-5 pm. It sucks, but that's the way the system works, unlike most other major metropolitan cities.
posted by kathryn at 10:24 AM on October 17, 2011
Just remember: if the center lights (letters and numbers) on top of the yellow cab are lit, it's available. If the whole thing is dark, the cabbie already has a fare. If the off duty lights are on (regardless of the center lights) they can only stop if your destination is considered on the way to their garage or home.
And yes, cabs quickly become scarce when it's raining. And between 4-5 pm. It sucks, but that's the way the system works, unlike most other major metropolitan cities.
posted by kathryn at 10:24 AM on October 17, 2011
Ex-New Yorker (Brit) here. Yes, you do not expect to be picked up by car at Penn Station, or indeed, really at all in Manhattan. It's a feckin' nightmare getting parked near the main stations.
If it was your first time in the city I would have done my utmost to meet you at the station and accompany you on the subway. If you'd been to the city before, hey, you can handle it. Although if I liked you a lot (you know, a lot) I'd still try my damnedest to come and meet you. :-)
But not in a car. Lordy.
posted by Decani at 10:28 AM on October 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
If it was your first time in the city I would have done my utmost to meet you at the station and accompany you on the subway. If you'd been to the city before, hey, you can handle it. Although if I liked you a lot (you know, a lot) I'd still try my damnedest to come and meet you. :-)
But not in a car. Lordy.
posted by Decani at 10:28 AM on October 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
I would meet you in person and we'd take a cab together. Only a complete maniac would try to find parking near Penn at any time of day on any day of the year.
tbh only a complete maniac would keep a car in the city but whatevs.
posted by elizardbits at 11:00 AM on October 17, 2011
tbh only a complete maniac would keep a car in the city but whatevs.
posted by elizardbits at 11:00 AM on October 17, 2011
Were you expecting to be picked up? Were the plans changed en route? How did the discussion about transport go before you left?
How long are you staying? The length of your stay obviously affects how lightly you can pack.
And where would your SO be coming from?
If it was your first time in the city, it would have been nice for SO to meet you there and take the subway to wherever nearby they could park. But, yeah, while it was clearly somewhat inconvenient for you, driving in to pick someone up by car near a major station is a real mess. I'm going to hazard a guess that if your SO has a car, he lives fairly far out?
You're framing this in terms of whether you're "special enough", instead of whether your expectation is actually reasonable given the logistics of the situation - a good number of the important details you've omitted.
posted by canine epigram at 11:05 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
How long are you staying? The length of your stay obviously affects how lightly you can pack.
And where would your SO be coming from?
If it was your first time in the city, it would have been nice for SO to meet you there and take the subway to wherever nearby they could park. But, yeah, while it was clearly somewhat inconvenient for you, driving in to pick someone up by car near a major station is a real mess. I'm going to hazard a guess that if your SO has a car, he lives fairly far out?
You're framing this in terms of whether you're "special enough", instead of whether your expectation is actually reasonable given the logistics of the situation - a good number of the important details you've omitted.
posted by canine epigram at 11:05 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
I think I once made a friend (a very very good friend too) do the completely insane "LaGuardia bus to subway to a different subway line to my house" trip upon arrival in New York because I was too poor to take a cab out to LGA to meet him. I still feel kind of guilty about that one. But yes, it's normal to stay home and have your guests come to you unless they indicate they'd be completely panicked by trying to find a cab on their own or something.
posted by MsMolly at 11:08 AM on October 17, 2011
posted by MsMolly at 11:08 AM on October 17, 2011
Best answer: Or you're dating Harry from When Harry Met Sally:
Harry Burns: You take someone to the airport, its clearly the beginning of the relationship. That's why I have never taken anyone to the airport at the beginning of a relationship.posted by MsMolly at 11:10 AM on October 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
Sally Albright: Why?
Harry Burns: Because eventually things move on and you don't take someone to the airport and I never wanted anyone to say to me, How come you never take me to the airport anymore?
Penn Station is not that far away from a $15 cab fare by subway - that's maybe downtown Brooklyn or even just lower or upper Manhattan? Friend could have (or should have) come to the station, met you, shared a cab or taken the train back with you.
posted by RajahKing at 11:39 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by RajahKing at 11:39 AM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Agree with RajahKing. That's what my friends have done in the past when I've visited them in NYC (well, until I got to know NYC pretty well myself). Your friend should have sucked it up and taken a subway to meet you or taken a cab to meet you and then cabbed or subway-ed back with you.
Never a car though. Ridiculous in NYC.
posted by superfille at 12:01 PM on October 17, 2011
Never a car though. Ridiculous in NYC.
posted by superfille at 12:01 PM on October 17, 2011
Best answer: Aww, it's the hurting back, and the rain, and the travel misery talking. Nonetheless once you arrived, you deserve, a hug, a drink, a shower, and a hearty welcome.
posted by theora55 at 12:13 PM on October 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 12:13 PM on October 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
I think you had a spot of bad weather that your friend couldn't control and I am sure that your friend didn't know you had a bad back and a heavy bag.
I have lived in Manhattan close to Penn Station (about 30 blocks away) and when someone came into town, I gave them the option of meeting me somewhere and I would take a cab or train with them from that corner or place or take a cab to my place. 100% of the time, they said they will a cab when they searched info on the web and realized what it was like without me telling them the parking situation.
There is simply no place around for someone to park their car without getting ticketed for standing in a No Standing zone or No Parking Anytime zone or there are even signs that say Don't Even Think of Parking Here.
Don't be upset with your friend, he or she might have been at home getting the place ready for you with excitement coursing through their veins.
posted by Yellow at 1:10 PM on October 17, 2011
I have lived in Manhattan close to Penn Station (about 30 blocks away) and when someone came into town, I gave them the option of meeting me somewhere and I would take a cab or train with them from that corner or place or take a cab to my place. 100% of the time, they said they will a cab when they searched info on the web and realized what it was like without me telling them the parking situation.
There is simply no place around for someone to park their car without getting ticketed for standing in a No Standing zone or No Parking Anytime zone or there are even signs that say Don't Even Think of Parking Here.
Don't be upset with your friend, he or she might have been at home getting the place ready for you with excitement coursing through their veins.
posted by Yellow at 1:10 PM on October 17, 2011
Best answer: So. I know exactly what you're describing. I've visited good friends, very very good friends in NYC and have never been met at any airport or train station. Always have been told up front that I am expected to get myself to the apartment, or have just asked which stop I want. Usually, "you'll want to get an A train toward..." and then I'm told what stop I need to get off. Sometimes I get met at the street corner, but often I'm left to walk from the stop to the apartment. Depends on timing and daylight and what they have going on. And which friend.
My friend Clare once sent her husband out to get me from the subway.
So, that said, for significant others, I make a bit of noise about how important it is to me to be met upon arrival. When I come home, that's at the security gate. But. Well. In NYC it's all different. So, in the future, make sure this person knows to grab the subway over to PS and collect you, your bags, and a big wet smooch. I would also be very frank about this, if I had a lover in New York. "My plane gets in at ___, it looks like I can get to PS by ____, I'd love it if you were waiting for me, and I'd be really sad if you weren't coming to meet me. It's been so long! I can't wait to see your face!"
posted by bilabial at 1:22 PM on October 17, 2011
My friend Clare once sent her husband out to get me from the subway.
So, that said, for significant others, I make a bit of noise about how important it is to me to be met upon arrival. When I come home, that's at the security gate. But. Well. In NYC it's all different. So, in the future, make sure this person knows to grab the subway over to PS and collect you, your bags, and a big wet smooch. I would also be very frank about this, if I had a lover in New York. "My plane gets in at ___, it looks like I can get to PS by ____, I'd love it if you were waiting for me, and I'd be really sad if you weren't coming to meet me. It's been so long! I can't wait to see your face!"
posted by bilabial at 1:22 PM on October 17, 2011
Best answer: If your friend had picked you up, he or she would not have been waiting outside the station with the engine running waiting for you. You would have been wandering around in the rain trying to find each other while they drove around in circles trying not to get ticketed at by police and yelled at by cab drivers. Or they would have spent $15-30 to park their car for a half hour and tried to find you, and then you both would have walked in the rain to the garage. Getting picked up would probably have resulted in more time wandering in the rain and/or cost more money (parking & gas).
posted by inertia at 1:25 PM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by inertia at 1:25 PM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
I don't live in NYC, but I do live in the downtown of another bigger city. What I do is offer to pay for the cab. It saves me a huge headache and gets them to me safely. That being said, when I have out of town visitors arrive at stations that are harder to get to, I will often make the trek by train to pick them up on foot or to help them take a cab back.
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 2:35 PM on October 17, 2011
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 2:35 PM on October 17, 2011
Best answer: Having done this myself for friends, I met them at the station, described how to get to a place they could wait (which was the Nathan's/Dunkin Donuts stand, easy to find and with seating) and said I'd either be waiting or be there soon.
Then things happened at work and I couldn't make it.
Thankfully she had her phone on and I explained the situation, and had her get a cab and come down to my workplace. I was able to get away for the five minutes it took to go down, pay the cabbie, sign her in, and find a place for her to sit. She read and I finished putting out the fire, at which point we walked to the ferry to Hoboken, then on the train.
But that was someone I was doing the Relationship Thing with, which can be different from Dear Friend.
posted by mephron at 5:24 PM on October 17, 2011
Then things happened at work and I couldn't make it.
Thankfully she had her phone on and I explained the situation, and had her get a cab and come down to my workplace. I was able to get away for the five minutes it took to go down, pay the cabbie, sign her in, and find a place for her to sit. She read and I finished putting out the fire, at which point we walked to the ferry to Hoboken, then on the train.
But that was someone I was doing the Relationship Thing with, which can be different from Dear Friend.
posted by mephron at 5:24 PM on October 17, 2011
Best answer: The many answers noting the infeasibility of DRIVING to Penn Station are valid. The few complaining that it's "too hard" to meet someone in a madhouse like Penn Station, that's a bit much. It's 2011, and we all have phones.
There's but one Hot & Crusty Bagels in Penn Station, let's meet there! 10B! What? You're there but you don't see me? I'm by the "Soups" sign. Put your hand up. There you are!
It's a very, very minor misdemeanor in my book, but yeah, to me the default thing to do would be to pick up friend at their port of arrival and take public transportation/a cab back to my place. You have the right to be a TEENY bit miffed.
posted by mreleganza at 7:17 PM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
There's but one Hot & Crusty Bagels in Penn Station, let's meet there! 10B! What? You're there but you don't see me? I'm by the "Soups" sign. Put your hand up. There you are!
It's a very, very minor misdemeanor in my book, but yeah, to me the default thing to do would be to pick up friend at their port of arrival and take public transportation/a cab back to my place. You have the right to be a TEENY bit miffed.
posted by mreleganza at 7:17 PM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
NYer here. To me it's much stranger to live in the city and refuse to ride the subway than it is to decline to drive a car over to Penn Station.
posted by Ragged Richard at 8:49 PM on October 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Ragged Richard at 8:49 PM on October 17, 2011 [3 favorites]
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posted by FlamingBore at 8:50 AM on October 17, 2011 [7 favorites]