Gross Out

This town is dirty. There’s no denying it. I sweep up piles of dirt in my apartment twice week. My dog needs a bath almost daily because dirt and mud get caked in his fur. After a snow, muddy, slushy water clogs every intersection. I deal with it with frequent showers and house cleaning, but some things still gross me out.
I was walking through the port authority bus terminal this morning and a man was standing at a wall, clipping his fingernails. He was just letting them drop to the floor. I’m all for hygiene, but that is disgusting! Just because this city doesn’t exactly sparkle, doesn’t give you permission to drop your nasty nails in the subway station.
And it’s not like the city makes no attempt to keep things clean, either. Trash is picked up twice a week in my neighborhood and sorters go through the garbage to separate the recyclables. It makes a huge difference, too. When we had our last big snowstorm, garbage collectors didn’t come for five days and a wall of trash piled up for blocks.
The city sticks to tight regiment though, so despite the fact that millions of New Yorkers accumulate tons of trash ever week, the city manages to do a pretty awesome job keeping it off the streets. New York car owners are stuck with the frustration of moving their cars almost every other day because of street sweepers. They come through the city on alternate sides of the street almost daily, scrubbing the sidewalks with their bristle teeth. There are signs throughout the subway discouraging litter and for the most part, people pick up after themselves. So yes, New York is dirty, but not as dirty as it could be…so let’s keep the nail trimming to personal lavatories and while in Manhattan, keep it clean.