In New York City, it’s not uncommon to run into upset commuters impulsively checking the minute hand on their watch. Whether you’re on a train or walking up a busy street, New Yorkers are always counting the minutes; time is money. That is why New Yorkers have adopted the “fast walk” in an effort to be as efficient as possible. Growing up in New York City I’ve practically had efficiency engraved into my mind since the moment I was able to walk. New York is harsh and competitive, which is why managing your time is so important. Which is why the route to school that I have outlined emphasizes time management. New York was not built for efficiency, our streets are crowded and our mass transit barely functions. Even in the harsh environment of New York City, New Yorkers have still found ways to maximize their efforts. Just like many New Yorkers before me, I have found the best way to get from the train station to my school in order to make the best use of my time.

The route I take everyday is the most straightforward and efficient way for any student or faculty to get to City Tech from the Jay Street Metrotech train station. The closest train station to City Tech is the Jay Street Metrotech A, C, and F entrance/exit. It’s all the way at the end of the A train platform and leads directly to Metrotech Plaza. The reason I take this exit, as opposed to the main exit on Jay Street and Willoughby Street is because it involves the least amount of waiting. Usually, if you were to exit through the Jat St Willoughby St exit, you have to wait on the escalator, which means you have to wait on others. Even after exiting, you would also have to walk on a very narrow pathway and under scaffolding which could slow you down up to ten minutes. So from the A, C, and F entrance/exit, you can walk directly to city tech in about six minutes as opposed to the extra ten minutes the main exit could have added. It’s also great for coffee drinkers. There is a starbucks and coffee stand right outside the station. Walking across the NYU Tandon Brooklyn Campus also serves as motivation for me. I don’t have aspirations for engineering school, but it’s a reminder that I don’t want to be at City Tech. It’s a constant reminder of what I could achieve, and the work required.

After exiting through the A, C, and F exit, you walk under the scaffolding to Tech Street. It’s a small street that not many cars drive through because of the construction of the new City Tech building. After crossing Tech Street, you wait at the corner until the light changes for you to cross Jay Street. Crossing Jay Street is the main time consumer. You have to wait for the light because there are two bike lanes, and two opposing car lanes that are dangerous to navigate through. After the light changes, crossing the street and walking towards the NAMM building entrance might seem like the most logical idea. However, it’s actually very inefficient if you have a class on the sixth floor or above. The elevators are always crowded, and even though there are eight elevators, they almost never come to the first floor. Instead, it’s best to walk down Tech Street towards Adams street. Entering through the Adams entrance is most efficient because the elevators on that side of the building take you directly to the sixth floor, and are hardly ever crowded. A nice addition is also the food cart on Adams Street. Brooklyn is home to bodegas and this cart just happens to have great greasy brooklyn breakfast sandwiches.

To review, this route involves a lot of bobbing and weaving in terms of dodging cars and people. First, exit through the A, C, and F exit, walk across Starbucks, NYU Tandon, and the “Balanced Cylinders.” Go under the scaffolding until you reach the intersection of Jay Street and Tech Street. Then, cross Tech Street and wait for the light to change so you can cross Jay Street. Keep going straight until you reach Adams Street. Finally, turn to the right and enter the building through the Adams entrance.

Time management is very important to students aiming to better themselves academically. As said in Bill Reynold’s article for SeattlePI, getting to class on time is important to your learning experience.It can also be beneficial to be respectful to the professor, if they also arrive on time. It allows you time to prepare and get settled. I used to always show up to class late and out of breath in high school, and It’s refreshing to be prepared. It allows you time to get ready to participate in class. It’s been especially important to me this semester in helping me get my grades together, which is why I encourage others to adopt my route to school.

Sources

C., Noel Y. “‘The Balanced Cylinders’, Sculpture by Paul Sisko At Polytechnic Institute of NYU.” NYC ♥ NYC, 1 Jan. 1970, nyclovesnyc.blogspot.com/2011/09/balanced-cylinders-sculpture-by-paul.html.

Reynolds, Bill. “The Advantages of Being on Time vs. Being Late to School.” The Advantages of Being on Time vs. Being Late to School | Education – Seattle PI, 2017, education.seattlepi.com/advantages-being-time-vs-being-late-school-3477.html.

In New York City, it’s not uncommon to run into upset commuters. Whether you’re on a train or walking up a busy street, New Yorkers are always counting the minutes. Time is money. That is why New Yorkers have adopted the “fast walk” in an effort to be as efficient as possible. Growing up in New York City I’ve practically had efficiency engraved into my mind since the moment I was able to walk. That is why the routes to school that I have outlined emphasize time efficiency. New York was not built for efficiency, but New Yorkers have found ways to maximize their efforts. Just like many New Yorkers before me, I have found three ways to get from school to home, to make the best use of my time.

The first route is by far the fastest way for me to get home. When I am in a rush to get home for dinner, homework, or family I always take this route. The route begins by leaving through the NAMM building exit. Out of all the exits in City Tech, this is the most accessible, and closest to the Jay Street Metrotech station. Once you exit, you make a hard right onto Jay Street. First, you cross the street to the supreme court. Wait at the corner of the Supreme court to cross the street on your left. This street light is the only bottleneck because you must wait for the light to change. Then, you make a right until you reach the A, C, and F entrance to the Jay Street Metrotech Station. The only aesthetically pleasing thing you’d see is the “Balanced Cylinders” statue. Most of the time you are walking under scaffolding. This route is all about timing. Sometimes you’re lucky and are able to catch the light at the corner of Tech street, sometimes you have to wait. The route is also the most physically straining, because weaving through people and running is exhausting.

The second route is for when I want to get food on my way home. The corner of Adams Street and Fulton Mall is home to many fast food restaurants. If I’m going to be home alone, I tend to get food before I get on my train ride home. I usually get Panera bread, or food from the Thursday Street Market (they have wonderful italian sausage sandwiches). I first exit the building by walking down the Atrium stairs to arrive at the Adams street exit. Then I exit the building and make a sharp left. I walk past the all girls engineering high school, and the marriott hotel. There are many food places past the hotel, so this is where I begin thinking about what I want to eat. Usually I am craving a certain food, but sometimes I am just hungry and begin to wonder around. This route does not maximize my time. When I am hungry, there is no time, there is just food. After obtaining food from any such establishment, I begin my journey home. I could end up in any place after getting food, so from there, it is really a gamble on how long it takes me to get to the Jay Street Metrotech station.

When I commute to school there is only one way I take. I quite often am late so I need to most fast and efficient way of getting to Jay Street Metrotech to City Tech. First of all, I always leave through the A, C, F, exit. This is not only the closest to the school, but also the most direct exit that the station has. I then walk by the “balanced cylinders”, although I don’t pay much attention to them. I walk under the scaffolding, then cross the street to the corner where the new City Tech building is under construction. It’s most efficient to cross the street here first because there are no cars that travel down Tech street. Instead of waiting for two lights, I wait for one. It’s the fastest way to school.

In project #4, I’m going to be covering my route from the Jay Street Station to City Tech. It’s the route I take practically everyday, and since I have multiple activities after school, I usually take different routes. The most important route is for when I need to get to school quickly. I wake up very late so it’s imperative that I have a fast route to get to school on time. So I tend to avoid people, construction, crossing the street, and crowded areas. The only landmark I have between the train station and City Tech is the balanced cylinders in front of starbucks.