That was a close one

Today, I had another first of living in this city: I dropped my cell phone onto the subway tracks! 

After living in New York and taking the subway for four years, I don't think I've ever dropped anything onto the tracks more valuable than a scrap of paper. But maybe it was bound to happen eventually. Then again, maybe I am just an idiot who shouldn't have been waving her phone around near the edge of the subway platform. I blame hunger! I was really hungry taking the subway home today, and was holding my Metrocard, a book, and my phone in my hand, so perhaps I dropped it due to my weakened, hungry state. Or maybe I just shouldn't have been carrying three things in one hand! 

In any case, I dropped my cell phone off the side of the platform. There was a brief moment (maybe 15 seconds) when I thought about jumping down to get it. But I looked around me, and literally two people standing next to me on the platform were shaking their heads, like "NO, that is a terrible idea." Then one of the women nearby mentioned that I should push the emergency call button, which was a few feet away. I really felt a little guilty for pushing the button (no one's life was anywhere close to endangered), but it did worked! The nice guy who answered didn't seem angry that I'd "misused" the emergency call, so I guess it was OK to consider losing a cell phone an emergency. 

I had to wait 30 minutes for them to send a guy down to fish out my phone with one of those long sticks with tongs at the end (kind of like an industrial-strength candy grabber), and he got it in about 1 minute. 

Phew! Here's hoping I don't drop my phone onto the tracks for at least another four years!

Quick photo I got of the nice man who got my phone off the tracks. Thank you, sir!