Taking a Trip Back in Time

My Facebook profile is littered with horror stories from my subway commute. In fact, the "My Top Status Words of 2010" app returned the word "Subway" at Number 1, and believe me, they were all rants, not raves. So imagine my surprise when this Sunday the MTA delivered this delightful holiday surprise: a vintage train from the 1930's running on the M track. It turned a dreaded Queens-to-Brooklyn trek, usually spent waiting and cursing, into a magical trip back in time. I had no idea that the MTA has been doing this for years, calling it the "Nostalgia Shoppers’ Special Train."

Let me emphasize this is not a reproduction, it's the real deal - a working antique train complete with vintage ads, wicker seats and ceiling fans, and it makes all the stops on the M line from Queens Plaza to 2nd Ave. Knowing that the best camera is the one you have with you, I snapped some pics with my iPhone that you can see here. New Yorkers, you have one last chance to catch the nostalgic train this year - on Sunday, Dec. 26. Don't miss it! Oh, and as for MTA, I'll take a little holiday sabbatical and then continue ripping them a new one on January 2. Until then, Happy Holidays! Choo-choo!

99 and Still Ahead of Time

Had an amazing experience at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema on Thursday night. I was there for a screening of "Ahead of Time" a documentary on the extraordinary life of journalist, author, photographer and all-around trailblazer, Ruth Gruber. It also happened to be Ruth's 99th birthday, and she was in attendance to do a Q&A following the film.

As a young, restless Brooklynite, Ruth dreamed of the big world beyond and couldn't wait to get out of New York. Her writing talent landed her a fellowship from the University of Cologne in 1931, where she obtained her Ph.D in one year (and became the youngest Ph.D in the world in the process). Her unquenchable thirst for adventure combined with a fiercely independent spirit and a level of courage seldom seen by women in her day (or even today for that matter) took her on dangerous and exhilarating journeys to the Soviet Arctic, Alaska, Nazi Germany and the Middle East. Along the way she married (but didn't change her name) and rubbed elbows with President Harry S. Truman, Virginia Woolf and Israeli Prime Ministers David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir. To get an idea of the fearlessness and tenacity this woman possessed - she hid her passport, removed the American flag pin from her lapel and posed as a German citizen to attend a Nazi rally. She witnessed first hand Hitler's racist and hysterical rants against Jews and Americans, of which she is both. Those are just a few of the remarkable stories you will hear Ruth tell in "Ahead of Time."



When the movie ended, the lights came on, and a tiny woman entered the theater from the back exit, accompanied by her walker and a few aides. She received a standing ovation. It was hard to believe that such strength, grit and fearlessness could come in such a delicate and beautiful package. Then again, who better to embody CHUTZPAH than a Jewish girl from Brooklyn? She was charming, delightful, and at 99, still witty and sharp as a tack.

As someone with a love of travel, but not without my own fears and hesitations, I asked if she was ever afraid to go forth on those adventures, and if so, where did she find the courage? She answered that "every now and then I was close to death, and I was afraid." She proceeded to tell the story of how while on her honeymoon (a working honeymoon, of course) she was visiting an area of Libya where Jews were living in caves, when an Arab man pushed her against the wall and stuck a gun in her back. She thought her life was over, and was resentful that her honeymoon was ruined! Ultimately, they were rescued by the French Legion. You can listen to her tell the full story here.

When the Q&A was finished, the audience sang her "Happy Birthday." Then everyone began to exit the front as the crowd for the next movie filed in. While her assistants were lost in the shuffle up front somewhere, a woman in a wheelchair was trying to get past Ruth's chair and out the side exit. Her aide was stuck behind her and there was no one else around to help, so I reached out my hands, and helped her to her feet. I told her it was an honor, and that if I lived only half as an exciting life as her I would be satisfied. As she put on her coat and was helped back out the same side door that she entered, a funny thing happened. The theater dimmed and began to play a preview before the next movie. It was the trailer for "Ahead of Time." In the foreground I watched the slow but graceful exit of this 99-year old pioneer, while the background flashed the accomplishments of her youth and remarkable life. It was inspiring to witness. L'Chaim, Ruth!