I have found the "good life" in New York. It cannot be found in the lights of Times Square or the gleam of the marble floors at the Met. You will not find it on the ice at Rockefeller Center, nor in the constellation of Grand Central Station.
It exists in the boroughs. Take the 4 or the 5 train to Fulton St and switch over to the outbound A express. You depart Manhattan without fanfare, in the darkness and anonymity of a tunnel – and you don't see daylight until you're about four stops into Queens.
Your trip is long, through the lower half of Queens and multiple stations that all look the same. Finally, you reach JFK International Airport AirTrain, which stops at all terminals and parking lots and then connects back up to its cousin, the subway system. Unlike its cousin, the AirTrain is aesthetically pleasing in every possible way. You enjoy brightly lit and heated stations, smooth-running trains, polite automated voices, and even cushioned seats and carpeting. Other perks include large windows and convenient maps posted everywhere.
Riding the train is free of any bumps, sudden acceleration or deceleration, or 90 degree turns. It's a glimpse of the future, of what public transportation can be. Between now and the time we'll all be teleporting everywhere – I hope to see the AirTrain in a station near you.
