I Hate New Jersey Transit

I have spent the last four days commuting back and forth between NY and our office in Plainsboro, NJ via NJ Transit - the most pathetic excuse for public transportation in existence.  This morning I arrived to Penn Station to discover, not really all that surprisingly, that my train was delayed for 15 to 30 minutes.  I stood in the waiting area, surrounded by a mix of legitimite people heading out to work and sleeping, homeless drunks.  My eyes were glued on the monitor waiting anxiously for the status to change from "Standby" to "Boarding", looking occasionally at the time and mentally calculating my increasingly later arrival time at my destination.  A couple of young models, who were clearly d-list since they were being forced to take public transit, were bickering with each other over how they were going to be late to a photo shoot/show.  One of them, since I have started to resemble one that rides the train regularly, turned to me and said "What's up with the train?"  She looked confused and hungry, so I explained (slowly) that there was a delay and there was nothing we could do - she would be late like the rest of us to her show at the Jersey Gardens Mall or whatever.  After a 20 minute delay, we boarded and then to add insult to injury, the power in my car went out and I rode the entire way in the dark.  I hate NJ Transit and this is just another incident to add to my history of hideous experiences!  From the delays, uncomfortable seats, the smells and did I mention the DELAYS - it's no wonder Penn Station is filled with insane people, ambling around, talking to themselves.  They were probably once like the rest of us and then were slowly driven to madness by NJ Transit!  Here are some of my other "favorite" moments on the NJT:

• On a full train back to NY, I looked around for a place to sit and noticed that the only seat available was in a three-seater where the only other occupant was some white rasta, with a colorful knit cap sitting by the window.  I sat in the seat by the aisle, trying to keep my distance from my grimy seat mate.  Towards the end of the ride he removed his cap to reveal waist length dreadlocks and unleashing a rather unclean scent.  He scratched at his scalp and played with his ropes of hair and I slid even further against the armrest.  Then he turned his head and one of his nasty locks touched my laptop bag.  I cringed and as soon as we pulled into Penn - I leapt up and ran out of the train!
• Riding the train back to NY with female coworkers, we were chatting happily when I looked up and noticed a cockroach crawling across the ceiling not too far from where we were sitting.  I pointed it out and we recoiled in horror as it approached.  A couple of idiots noticed our fear of the roach and since it was above them, one of them swatted the dirty insect towards us!  
• This is not my story but I had one coworker have her train ride interrupted since some dude exposed himself to a woman on the train and they had to stop to investigate.  Charming.
• Well this one is mostly my fault and really the reason I set an alarm on my Blackberry when traveling to Plainsboro.  I fell into some kind of coma on the train, likely from the ungodly hour I have to wake up at to make it to the NJ office before 9 am.  My eyes fluttered open and I realized that the train had stopped.  I groggily looked over at the sign at the station and it read Princeton Junction - my stop!  I had no clue how long we had been stopped and my heart begin racing fearing that the doors would slam shut and I would be on my way to Trenton.  My legs were crossed and my flip flops off, so I uncrossed and tried to put weight on my feet only to discover that they were both asleep!  My feet were so numb that I could only manage to put on one flip flop  - then in a panic, I grabbed my bags, the other flip flop off the floor and limped off the train just in time!  A graceful exit indeed.

And lest we forget this incident.  Oh the joys of riding the Northeast Corridor line.