This is the Penn Station I walked into when I got off the train this morning.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Penn Station, donāt be deceived by this immaculate oasis. The real Penn Station is a filthy pit of despair where rats and cockroaches go to die and working schlubs who canāt afford to live in the city waste away, praying for a train that will never come and job that will make it all worth it. (And sometimes they drink beer out of a paper bag.)
So obviously, I immediately thoughtāGreat! I time travelled. Which really pissed me off because Goddamn it! Itās the future and Iām STILL commuting into this shithole every day. Crap! How old am I? I need a mirror. I better not have turkey neck! Thanks, Costco, for calling my attention to that horrific thought.
Then I was like: I wonder if Costco is still around? Surely, as a society, we must have finally made it through that 1000-gallon jar of relish by now. Which probably means weāve also made it through that 1000 count pack of hotdogs too, because what the hell else are we putting relish on?
Speaking of hotdogs, I wonder what happened to that dude who always begs me for a quarter to get something to eat? I really want to know where the hell this guy is getting anything to eat in New York City for a quarter? I paid $4.50 for a Vitamin Water the other day! Maybe heās just bad at Math. Poor guy. I get it. I should bring him some relish.
HOLY SHIT! Thatās how we finally polish off all those jars of relish! In the future, we end the hunger crisis with endless supplies of Costco condiments. Because letās be honest, hamburgers, French fries, onion rings, tater tots⦠theyāre all just vehicles for ketchup. Right?
My next thought was to call Tom⦠at work. Because that mother fāer better answer! God help him if Iām the one whoās still commuting every day. Then again, if heās not at work maybe heās figured a way out of this pathetic commuter life. Maybe Iām just here checking on one of our luxury rental properties and I took the train to trick the āregularā people into thinking that Iām just like them. Fools! Yes, that must be why Iām wearing these shitty Target clothes. Donāt answer. Donāt answer. Donāt answer.
He answered. What a dick. After 20 minutes (and a really confusing conversation about turkey neck and Penn Station renovations) he finally helped me navigate my way back to 2017. As I breathed in the hot stench of ass and dead rodents, I knew I was home. Then I heard someone ask, āExcuse me? Do you have a quarter so I can get something to eat?ā I tossed him a ketchup packet instead, because you know, Iāve seen the future.
What Year IsĀ It? This is the Penn Station I walked into when I got off the train this morning.