May Chang 3/7/25 May Chang 3/7/25

Public transport showdown

Shit! I’ve got seven minutes until midnight to get my crappy first draft in for the day.

Today’s lightening quick post is about public transportation, specifically comparing the trains and subways of my two homes, Sydney and New York.

Sydney

Pros: I mean, do you see the above photo?! Clean! Spacious! Not crowded! Very well air-conditioned! Double-deckered! Reversible seats (most cars)!
Cons: Fare based on distance (boo). Tap on tap off, which sucks if you forget to tap on because then you pay the max fare ($18 AUD!). Not 24/7 (ugh). Infrequent (compared to New York). High probability of getting on the wrong train to the wrong direction because multiple lines share the same platform (easy way to lose time). Doesn’t really get you everywhere.

New York

Pros: 24/7 (huge!)! Only $2.90 USD for any distance. Massive network that is quite expansive across all five boroughs. Easier naming nomenclature to remember.
Cons: Sardine-level crowded. Not many seats. Hard seats. Rats and mice scrambling on the tracks and in the stations. Only occasionally air-conditioned (applies to both subways and stations).

Winner: New York, hands down — convenience is everything. The fact that you can get anywhere at anytime for only $2.90? Phenomenal. Plus you see the most interesting people and things, wild randomness that makes New York, New York.

Random guy on the subway holding *raw* ground meat wrapped in deli paper while casually scrolling through his phone. What is New York.

May Chang 3/15/23 May Chang 3/15/23

Empty nester

The close of one chapter and beginning of another - getting ready to say goodbye to New York

No, I don’t have kids. I just literally have an empty nest - or almost an empty nest.

I’m in the process of moving out of my apartment and moving back to my parents’ home, so the apartment is becoming an empty nest.

This content is not as exciting as waddling penguins or diving humpback whales, but it’s a meaningful moment for my upcoming journey. I have a feeling that I’ll want to look back on this moment and remember all the feelings - a mix of being scared, anxious, excited, and overwhelmed. Disbelief that it’s really happening and bittersweet because this apartment has been a home full of precious memories - egg freezing during COVID and being confined to the apartment’s four walls, hosting dinner parties for friends to celebrate the holidays or our friendship, putting in loving care to create a beautiful sanctuary.

This moment is a pause, and ending, and a beginning. A pause because - I’ll be back, New York! An ending because this period of time in my life is drawing to a close. A beginning because the next adventure is about to begin.