sales tax is back!?

UGGGH. What the freak, New York!?

Last weekend, my sister and I made our usual Sunday trip to Anthropologie (yes…we’re up to weekly visits now) when I spotted a GLORIOUS dress I had had my eye on for months. It was marked down nearly 75% off, so of course I had to buy it. Good thing it fit and looked nice, too.

So as I waited through the check out, I calculated my savings and grinned at such a good steal. But! Lo and behold! My total rings up, and the price is a good $15 higher than what I expected. Now, I know my math skills aren’t exactly college-level (it’s the truth, I took no math in college), but I queried the sales girl anyway.

“Ohhhh, riiiight, starting today there’s a sales tax on all retail items,” she says.

What the—! Sales tax!? Sorry, I haven’t heard those words in almost 5 years. Sure enough, there is now a 4% statewide sales tax on everything, through April 2011. After April, the tax only applies to items over $55.

Pssshh. This is ridiculous. Get it together, New York! I’m sick of paying for your hideously unbalance budget!

“tourist lane” joke is actually a brilliant idea

A local group of improv comedians—Improv Everywhere—set up a hilarious “tourist lane” on the sidewalk of 5th Avenue at 22nd Street recently. Check out the video for pedestrian reactions:

Now, this is meant to be a joke of course. But…maybe these guys are onto something??

Imagine how effective this would be, say, near 14th Street/Union Square!? Or how about coming out of subway exits…the dividers could start at the turnstile, go up the stairs, and diverge tourists as they gape up at tall buildings, allowing the rest of us to get on our way!

Yes…this is a brilliant idea. Now how does one submit such a thing to Mayor Bloomberg…

the beloved subway

First off, apologies for the posting hiatus. I’ve started another little side project that needed some attention to get off the ground (pardon the self-promotion).

In this post I’d like to give a shout-out to our beloved NYC Subway—and all the weirdness that comes with it.

Last week, I was heading downtown on the 6 train (arguably, the most-hated line; known for excess NYU-ers, baby strollers, and that god-awful “homeless” stench) when I snapped this intriguing character:

Are those….are those toe shoes?! I didn’t think anyone actually worse those things. And on the subway, no less! What exactly is the benefit of being able to grip the flat, disgusting floor of public transport? God know what this man is feeling on the bottoms of those things…

Moving right along—today, Gawker.com reports the Unofficial Subway Etiquette Campaign. A New York City artist has re-created the MTA’s service announcement bulletins into etiquette posters, based on a poll he conducted of subway pet-peeves:

The complete poster collection can be seen here. I personally love the rules about “eating.”

Which reminds me, I came across a blog a while back that is truly hilarious: Subway Douchery is photo-centric blog that captures douchy riders doing what they do best: annoying the hell out of everyone else.

*Eyeroll.

From those damn kids trying to sell you candy for their “basketball team” to aloof mothers blocking the door with their so-ridiculously-huge-it-might-as-well-be-a-spacecraft baby stroller, this blog covers it all.

So let’s share! What do you love/hate about the subway? Happy riding!