Subway Reads: Travel

There is something about the 2nd Ave. subway platform in summer that sends my imagination off to vacation-land. Perhaps it's the unique odors of urine, vomit, trash, and sweat all coming together in one humid, hot stench of New York.  Between silently cursing the  late-night schedule and  those moments of refreshment as the doors across the platform open and cool air rushes out, I tend to drift off--imagining the smell of seashore and roasting asphalt instead. And whether the spike in guidebook sightings are a result of such far-flung fantasies or practical study by those far more fortunate, this week's Subway Reads is in honor of the travel guide.