AdviceNew York

Strange Encounters With Strangers Can Be Interesting

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Mom told you not to talk to strangers. But what mom doesn’t know won’t hurt her. New York is a big city and if you happen to step foot outside of your humble abode you might encounter people you may never see again in your life. Unlike the Southern or Midwestern states, us city people tend to stick to ourselves or the people we actually know. The reason? Strangers in the city could be potential thieves, con-artists or just dangerously weird. But you can’t always dodge these people you don’t know because eventually someone is gonna ask for directions, ask which train gets you where or just start up a conversation with you out of nowhere. The conversation starters can make for some interesting stories.

One good one is the time I got out of work and me and a couple of my co-workers decided to have some beers by some benches nearby. After successfully dodging any unwanted attention from the cops, a man named Miguel walks by, introduces himself, and just like Spider-man he was visibly under the influence of Mary Jane. After a few minutes of going on a rant about how we’re all the same and we all go through the same struggles, he volunteered to buy us some beers. A six-pack was his initial offer, so I figure one more beer and I’m going home. Boy, was I wrong because Miguel came back with two 12 packs of beer. I have to say that a night of FREE beers and Miguel ranting about life’s struggles while pausing any time an attractive female walked by left a lasting impression on me.

However, Halloween 2009 brought the freaks out. After a long night walk around The Village trick or treating my friends and I decided to call it a night and eventually made our way into the crowded subway. There, I ran into a talkative woman who had a sudden infatuation with me. I mean it’s not like I’m Brad Pitt or anything (although my mom says I’m the handsomest boy in the world) but it was obvious she was on something. What that something was is anyone’s guess. This particular conversation began by the girl proclaiming that she wanted to die. Imagine a beautiful girl dressed up as a fairy telling you she wanted to die, that’s like Tinkerbell telling Peter Pan that she wants to leave Neverland. Her odd way of flirting ensued on the train ride and she even missed her stop to continue speaking to me about her strap-on and her love of bi-sexual guys. I think that was her way of saying that she was looking to, ummmm, let’s just say I was flattered but I still think it’s quite disturbing.

Those are just a few experiences with strangers that I’ve had in the city of New York. (Trust me, I could be here all day.) In one account I ended up getting FREE beer and in the other I could have got lucky (unfortunately it could have been in more ways than one). Now I’m not telling you to embrace every lunatic that comes up to talk to you but every now and then you might come across someone who will intrigue you. Just remember broke-asses: Be careful when talking to strangers.

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Enrique Grijalva - Mr. Minimum Wage

Enrique Grijalva - Mr. Minimum Wage

My father came, my mother saw...and I conquered. I encourage children to do drugs, I buy alcohol for teenagers, and I drink beer with the homeless. In my spare time, I attend art galleries for the FREE booze while rubbing elbows with modish elephants. I also hammer six-inch nails into small penises. Stuart knighted me as Broke-Ass King of New York. You've been warned.