The memories of my childhood NYC transit survival incidents in the 1970s still send shivers down my spine. Those were the days when taking public transit to get to and from school was an adventure in itself. My daily commute from the Soundview section of the Bronx to St. John’s Chrysostom involved a complex web of buses and subway trains. I would start with a two-block walk to the BX 27 bus stop at the corner of Soundview and Patterson Avenue, then transfer to the BX 4 bus at Westchester Avenue, which would eventually drop me off near my elementary school. From there, it was another three city blocks on foot to reach the school itself. High school was no less challenging, requiring a combination of city buses and subway trains to reach Cardinal Hayes High School on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx.
Yet, what made these journeys even more unforgettable were the lurking dangers that came with being a parochial school student. Our distinctive uniforms and the public transportation passes we carried made us prime targets for older kids with nefarious intentions. I vividly remember the cat-and-mouse games we played with would-be muggers, who followed us off buses and trains, hoping to corner us alone and demand our precious bus or train passes, and sometimes even our lunch money. These experiences left an indelible mark on my childhood, teaching me valuable lessons about street smarts and caution. Looking back, I can’t help but marvel at the resilience of my younger self and the courage it took to navigate the bustling and sometimes perilous streets of New York City as a child, ages 8 to 17. It’s a reminder that the city has its own unique way of shaping the individuals who call it home. In retrospect, these life lessons certainly were educational and I gained a great appreciation for reading transit maps and planning excursions to the many wonderful attractions offered by NYC!