It all started with Curious George and Mighty Machines. I wouldn’t have thought it was a big deal, but according to my four-year old son, it was … it definitely was because Curious George and Mighty Machines rocks.
They may be an everyday occurrence in New York, Chicago, Boston, or San Francisco. No big deal. Just a regular day from point A to point B. But here … in my little part of the Golden State it’s not very common. We’re a car community. That’s how I was raised, on wheels. Either on a car or bus, but always on wheels.
So when my son suggested that he wanted to take a trip on a subway train just like the one that Curious George took to get to the zoo and the one that was featured on an episode of Mighty Machines, I thought we really need to go to the supermarket, but I remembered my goals, self-improvement projects, bucket list and “resolutions” for the 2013 New Year and thought … definitely a Sandbox List Urban Adventure. I can always go to the market at night, when the kids are asleep and mom is watching a saucy Univision novela. It’s a good Costco sweatpants night. They have a relaxed dress code at VONS.
So that was the plan. And the thing is my son didn’t really care about the destination, he just cared about the ride. The idea of riding a train blew him away. We’ve been on miniature steamer trains, and trains that go around children’s parks, but never a subway train, never the Curious George method of transportation, so you could imagine his cartwheel-jumping-in-the-air excitement when we arrived at the station. But you could also imagine the humdrum-crabby expressions of all the regular riders … ages 30-50. I could tell he looked a little confused, probably wondering why everyone wasn’t as excited as he was, I mean we were on the subway train for crying out loud. These people were going about their I-can’t-believe-this-is-another-crappy-day business and it showed as they rode the train. But I tried to keep the urban adventure positive for my son. I packed plenty of Goldfish crackers.
The entrance
When we got to the ticket counter, he wanted to buy the tickets himself. Pushing buttons is a big thing.
Ready to go downstairs and catch the train.
Is that our train? Is that our train? Is that our train? Is that our train? … No. It’s not.
My son … checking out our destination.
My son … loving the ride, eyes wide open, looking at the tunnels as we zoomed by. No need for the Goldfish crackers. My daughter on the other hand … she needed a few extras.
We arrived at our destination and rode up the escalators to check out the scene.
While walking around town, we ran into Iron Man, my son decided to introduce himself. He never thought he’d see a superhero on our Sandbox List adventure.
We decided to match up our footprints and handprints with those of big Hollywood stars. My son thought Jack Nicholson had big feet.
After a while … it was back to the trains … back home.
But after all that IronMan, Shrek, Walk of Fame, and movie star excitement, the best part of the day was seeing my son super excited about his train coming into the station.
The Wish Factor 
What a lovely adventure your son had. I’m sure it’s something he’ll always remember. Love the Iron Man pic.:)
Oh I was so glad he enjoyed it. I was going to ask him if he did, but I didn’t have to … it was all over his face. Big smile. Lots of giggles and when we saw Iron Man … dude … forget about it. Great surprise. I was so glad it worked out.
😀
Having grown up in NYC, I can attest to the somber look on the faces of everyday subway riders. But what if you boarded the train and everyone was uncharacteristically smiling at you? Oh, shivers, that’s too eerie of a scenario to contemplate.
Since moving to PA in 1998, I miss the subway. It was so convenient!
It looks like your son enjoyed his underground adventure. He’s probably already asked, “When are we doing it again?”
Dude. He so asked me that as soon as we got home. We’re probably going to go on another adventure next week. It was the highlight of his day. He was talking about it until bedtime.
Love this! Following the adventure through the eyes of a four-year-old makes me want to go out and do this. I grew up in a small town, so I was an adult the first time I rode a subway train. Interestingly, now that I think of it, it was the Metro in Paris and our son (who was also 4 at the time) was with us. It was a big deal for all of us. Wish I’d had the foresight to record it in photos the way you have. It will be great for your son to look back at when he’s grown!
Thanks! I’m so hoping he does remember. Ever since I started this blog I carry the camera everywhere. It’s awesome for taking pictures when you normally wouldn’t have thought to … Kodak moments appear anywhere. Yeah the first time I rode the subway was about 15 years ago in San Francisco and I was pretty excited about that too.
Very cool trip for your small fry Guat. When I was a youngster growing up in San Francisco, riding the streetcar downtown was a thrill. That thrill quickly faded when a few years later I had to ride it everyday to get to school. As for my 30+ years of subway riding here in New York City, that’s never been a thrill, but it is a very convenient to get to just about anywhere I’m going.
It was a cool trip. I was so glad that it turned out well. He is planning another subway/Metro again. But I hear you on the convenience thing, I understand that it’s easier to ride on the subway than it is to find a parking space out there. Here in Cali, a car is the way to go … the subway needs to expand a little bit more 🙂
Where I grew up, in San Francisco, public transportation, Muni and BART, were plentiful, so a car really wasn’t a necessity. Muni and BART were also excellent preparation for quickly getting to know the MTA when I moved East to Gotham City.